Originally posted by sooke
Can anyone recommend an ISF calibrator for my Samsung HLN467?

I called NOW A/V and they said they can do it but they have never done a DLP before. I was hoping to find someone with a little experience.

Thanks,

Sooke

Sooke,
Try going to http://www.imagingscience.com and searching for ISF-trained dealers in North Carolina; there are several. I've been meaning to call around, but haven't had time.

I'm interested in having my HLN507W calibrated as well. If I, or anyone, finds someone with experience with DLPs, let's post it here.

Thanks!
Bob

Played at bit with the input settings on the Pace and the mode settings on the HS10. I was able to get the smaller rectangular picture. It seemed to do this when I was on a SD channel and I rotated through the Pace output settings (wide to normal to stretch). What was interesting is that sometimes going back to wide would create the letterboxed like display, but it would only be temporary and would correct itself within a half a minute (usually on a major scene change). Turning the Pace box off and then back on also corrected it. I can't explain what's going on.

Sooke, as Bob pointed out try the ISF site for listings of calibrators. 2 guys I would recommend talking to is Tom Hoffman at Advanced Audio in Cary and Steve from Dr. Video or Raleigh. Both are experienced at DLP's. If you can't find anyone you can PM me as I have a Colorfacts system but have only done one DLP RPTV but at least my price would reflect my amature status.

Cheers,
dagger

Thanks guys. If I get one done I'll let you know the results.

Sooke

First off, this is my first post, so please excuse me if I'm using the interface wrong.

We live in Cary, near the intersection of Cary Pkwy/NC54. We have a
Zenith Z32V37 with an integrated HD tuner. We also purchased a Radio Shack
15-880 amplified indoor antenna as an experiment.

According to antennaweb, we live 17 miles from the commercial stations,
and 21 miles from WUNC. With the above setup, WUNC is rock solid (which
is very good, as multiple PBS channels was the main HD selling point with
the wife!). The problem is that the commercial stations are all quite flaky.
The signal strength bounces all around, and the signal drops out for a few
seconds here and there. Basically unwatchable.

Here is my main question. I'm not much of a do-it-yourselfer, so I'm really
reluctant do go crawling around on my roof to install an antenna. I'm so lazy
that I'm not even eager to put an antenna in the attic and try to fish coax down
to my family room on the first floor. HOWEVER, the previous occupants of the
house left a DSS antenna and cabling behind. So there is coax leading to a DSS
antenna mounted to our back deck. Would an outdoor antenna improve reception
over an indoor antenna, if both were at roughly the same height? Is it more about
altitude, or getting outside the house?

The existing antenna mount is ~5' off the ground, and is on the west side of our
house. According to antennaweb, the commercial stations are at 129 degrees,
and PBS is at 290 degrees, so I'm afraid the antenna would be in the "shadow"
of our house from the perspective of the commercial stations.


Thanks,

Drew

Drew,

An inexpensive outdoor antenna would gereatly improve your DTV reception. PM me and I can give you more details.

I live in Chatham County near Jordan Lake and get excellent reception of all the DTV stations.

I'm interested in having my HLN507W calibrated as well. If I, or anyone, finds someone with experience with DLPs, let's post it here.

Thanks!
Bob [/B]


Sooke and Bob:

I highly recommend Gregg Loewen of Lion A/V Consultants. He is quite simply one of the best in the business for ISF calibration and does extensive work on DLPs. I have been extremely pleased with his service. He is frequently mentioned on other boards in AVS.

The link to his website is listed below. While he is located in Maine, he travels quite frequently and in fact is traveling through NC/SC this month. Email him and you may be able to catch him. Pricing and service descriptions are on the website.

BTW - I do not own stock or have a vested interest in Lion. Gregg just provides great service for a reasonable price.


http://66.201.107.3/services.html

http://66.201.107.3/mgreggloewen.html

Any Tar Heel fans with ESPN-HD in the area willing hosting a couple fellow Carolina/HDTV fans for the dook game this Saturday because TWC sucks?

argila@netzero.net

PS - a six-pack (or two) of your favorite beer would be in order for anyone that volunteers.

Sorry, I would, but already have a full house for hopefully a HD win for Carolina, deArgila. Sorry!

deArgila...I'm afraid that there isn't a big percentage of people in North Carolina who will be able to see the game on ESPN-HD since Time Warner and ESPN are still "in negotiations" concerning carriage. I guess I'm one of the lucky ones since I've got ESPN-HD through DIRECTV. Several months ago, I got tired of waiting on TWC (especially for ESPN-HD), and now I'm really glad I switched!

If I weren't about 3 hours away from Durham, you could just come on over and root for the 'Heels in HD with a family of fanatics! My 8-year-old daughter even dresses in her Carolina cheerleading outfit for the big games!

GO TARHEELS!!

DANG....
I wish TWC and ESPN would agree already. I was so disappointed to learn the UNC-DUKE game was in HD and I couldn't see it. Then to see ESPN-HD advertise all their championship week games in HD and not have a chance to see them. aaarrrrrggggggg!!!!

Oh yeah,

GO DUKE!!!

I've got a Samsung TS-160 DirecTV tuner and was just scrolling through the local channels and realized I've got Enterprise and Smallville right now listed as HD.

I thought our local Sinclair channels weren't HD. Is this guide data wrong? Looking at it, it doesn't look HD to me.

DVI has been activated on the SA-3250HD in Durham. Also, they've FINALLY fixed the guide in S-Video. Yay! My first impressions of DVI were very good on my JVC RPTV. I'm using a Dell DVI cable I got from work.

Now, for ESPN-HD. Are you listening TWC? :)

Originally posted by aldamon
DVI has been activated on the SA-3250HD in Durham. Also, they've FINALLY fixed the guide in S-Video. Yay! My first impressions of DVI were very good on my JVC RPTV. I'm using a Dell DVI cable I got from work.

Now, for ESPN-HD. Are you listening TWC? :)

Hey, great news about the DVI activation. Did you have to force a re-boot, or did it just show up in the menu?

Now I have to decide whether to use my one DVI input for cable or DVD; I'm coming down on the side of using it for cable - seems I would get the most improvement by using DVI for HD. (not ready to spring for a DVI switcher yet - I figure they'll be coming out on receivers before too long).

I didn't have to enable anything or reboot. When I came home yesterday, my box was off, which indicated to me a software update had occurred. Also, I've left my DVI cable hooked up for months because I knew once the port was enabled, the component jacks would no longer work with DVI attached. Sure enough, that was the case. Also, with DVI attached, I can no longer choose the output format (1080i, etc), which is fine because according to my manual, my TV doesn't touch a DVI signal. I think DVI looks better than component on the 3250. It's difficult to do an A/B comparison though. I'd have to pull the cable off the box and then switch inputs to compare. Then I'd have to make sure the service menu settings were the producing the same colors, brightness, contrast and grayscale. I'm just thankful the HDCP DVI port on my TV actually works :) My wife is thankful for a guide in S-Video. I am too.

Anyone in Raleigh tried the DVI port lately? I'm at work right now so I can't.

aldamon,

Just curious, why do you use an S-video connection to your TV? Before the DVI was enabled, weren't you using component connection?

Sooke

Any other Raleigh TWC customers noticed that the guide has been totally wrong for the HD PBS station (202 ithink)?

Other channels seem to have correct guide info, but the PBS HD channel is never showing what the guide says it is.

Is there a way to fix this (like re-loading the guide info)?

Sooke

Originally posted by sooke


aldamon,

Just curious, why do you use an S-video connection to your TV? Before the DVI was enabled, weren't you using component connection?

Sooke

My TV can't stretch a component signal. My JVC TV's Panarama mode is far superior to the traditional stretch on the 3250. It blows up the middle a bit and stretches only the sides.

Well, if anyone is interested, I tried the DVI port on my SA3250HD box last night and it worked. So it looks like Raleigh customers have a working DVI port just like in Durham now.

It is hard to tell if there is a PQ improvement because of the time it takes to reconnect cables to switch between component and DVI.

I did notice that when using the DVI port, you can no longer choose your output format (ie 720p, 1080i). I wonder which one it uses? Maybe it just passes it through in the original format. I have no way of knowing.

Anyone notice any other changes with the new software update? I didn't find a way to get black sidebars instead of grey :( But I didn't look real hard.

Sooke

I too have gotten the DVI working out of a 3250HD in Raleigh. I have not noticed any other firmware updates. Seems to me that PQ is improved, but it is hard to tell.

Watching the ACC tourney on TWC Channel 255 is interesting. Wide shots are a little blurry, but whenever there is a close up shot of a player or the coaches, the picture is extremely sharp. I chalk it up to poor Raycom production values. Last night during the basketball game I switched over to a Hurricanes game that was being broadcast in HD and the picture was truly stunning.

I had a number of people over last night to watch the basketball games and I think they were underwhelmed by the basketball PQ. When I switched over to the hockey game, I got some ooohs! and aaaahs!

Hopefully the production values for the NCAA basketball games will be equivalent to the Hurricanes HD broadcast.

I think my DVI is enabled in Apex. I had the DVI hooked up to my Panny L300 for months waiting to try it out. Yes I new about the lack of HDCP when I purchased. I came home the other night and my projector would not display a TWC picture. I spent and hour checking cables etc and was about to take the box in as being faulty when I found out about the upgrade. After I Unhooked the DVI cable from the 3250 the component outputs came back alive. I really think they should send a message out before they upgrade the software. I assume that the 3250 HD DVI port requires a HDCP compliant device to work? Very silly since I don't much COPY any video with my projector. I still have an excellent picture via component. Thanks

When WRAL broadcasts the Raycom games, which are of course standard def, all WRAL does is upconvert their standard def analog signal and air it on their HD channel. That along with how crappy Raycom video is, is why the games were less than impressive.

Oh yeah, and Im new here :). Just bought a Hitachi 51S500, got the Pace box from the Cary TWC office (thanks to this thread, I knew which box to ask for :) ). Now if WRAL would just reair the shows they preempt for basketball in HD, Id be happy :).


Also, is there any reason TWC doesnt carry Cinemax, Starz, or A&E HD? Any chance they will be added in the near future?

Originally posted by ENDContra

Oh yeah, and Im new here :). Just bought a Hitachi 51S500, got the Pace box from the Cary TWC office (thanks to this thread, I knew which box to ask for :) ). Now if WRAL would just reair the shows they preempt for basketball in HD, Id be happy :).


Also, is there any reason TWC doesnt carry Cinemax, Starz, or A&E HD? Any chance they will be added in the near future?

There is such a thing as A&E HD? Cool!

I sent an email to TWC last week asking for info on new HD channels as well as when the HD DVR would be available. No repsonse yet. I'll post anything interesting if I get it.

Can someone list the advantages of the Pace box over the 3250HD?

Thanks,

Sooke

Hey guys - what email addresses to you use to contact TWC-Raleigh/Cary? I think I found one not on customer service/support pages but on the main info page.

Thanks,
dagger

There seems to be another "enhancement" with the 3250HD upgrade. The zoom/stretch/sidebar feature now works on HD channels. So if you had zoom turned on to stretch the SD channels it will also zoom the HD channel instead of passing through untouched. If you are watching a true HD widescreen broadcast you don't need any zooming or stretching so now you have to turn it off when you surf to a HD channel.

You folks with the DVI output working on the 3250, what happens with zoom and stretch settings as you switch from SD to HD channels?

I was perfectly happy with the way the 3250 was before the upgrade. Now there is one more step to deal with when switching between HD and SD channels.

How about you folks with the Pace box. How does zooming working when switching from SD to HD go? I suppose if you just use the pass through mode you can allow your TV to do all the zooming and it will zoom the SD channels and leave the HD channels alone.

thanks,

Larry

I'm currently trying to decide between twc and voom (I've got both for this month, but one goes come april). So far I'm leaning towards keeping voom - but as such I've got a couple of newbish questions... a) what's up with the unctv hd channel (4-2)? The voom program guide, zap2it and the unctv website all claim it's broadcasting all day, but for me it only comes on at 8:00pm, at which time 4-3 thru 4-5 cut off. Is this normal? b) I'm about 37 miles from most of the other digital towers and I live out in the woods in orange county. If I upgrade my antenna to the 80-mile version will I have any chance of getting those other OTA stations (I only get unctv right now with the stealth)?

Thanks for any help!

Larry,

I have the Pace 550 box and if I recall correctly the SD channels would stretch (if I selected that option while watching a SD channel) and the HD channels would display their native 16:9. What I'm trying to remember is how it worked when I tried it with the Pace upconverting all to either 1080i or 720p - I think it would pillar box the SD channels. I'm now running Pass Through and all works as I need: SD are stretched and HD are native.

Cheers,
dagger

LarryNC,

I can confirm that the HD stretching phenomena you write about is happening for me as well. Ive only had the HD box and TV for about two weeks so I didnt immediately recognize this as a "change" from the way the box handled HD stretching in the past. It is clearly a step back and quite annoying to have to go to that page on the menu and turn off stretching whenever you want to watch an HD strectched program. Id much rather the box just pass everything through untouched and let my TV handle the stretching. Anyone know how to do this?

Thanks . . .

It's not much, but here is the response I got from TWC on the HD DVR:


1. We have a rough timeline to launch the Explorer 8000HD in May/June. However,
no firm date has been released. Smaller Time Warner Cable Divisions have been testing
the 8000HD and are working out the software kinks.

2. From what we have heard, the SA 8000HD has a DVI output. We do not know if
this output will be activated once the boxes are available.

Through a mass software upgrade on March 10th, we have activated the DVI outlet
on the SA 3250.


FWIW.

Sooke

Any word on pricing on the 8000HD?

Sooke - good info on the SA8000. I for one will wait a bit longer in order to get a cleaner operating machine.

What email address did you use to get the TWC response?

Cheers,
dagger

Re: 3250HD and DVI output...

First, to my eyes the PQ over DVI is significantly improved over component (I'm feeding a Samsung HLN507W, so it's digital all the way). There's more detail, and much less banding. The component looks very good from this box; the DVI is better.

I've tried all the combinations of turning the TV on first, then the cable box, vice versa, switching inputs with cable box on and off, and I've never had a problem with the 3250HD syncing up with the TV. That's good.

I had one incident of audio out of synch wiht video; just changed channels and back it cleared up.

Also, it seems we do not have the latest SW. The setup procedue described here:

http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=346428&highlight=3250HD

Does not seem to work at all. So if you letterbox SD material, you're still stuck with grey sidebars; I've found no way to change that. Also, I don't see any way to change the output options; everything looks like it's output in 1080i.

Well, nice to have the DVI. TWC did say they would be enabling DVI through a *series* of SW upgrades, so here's hoping they bring the setup capabilities online soon.

daggerNC,

I just went to their website and clicked on a contact link. I had to fill out a bunch of fields (for phone number, name, etc). Then I could type in my questions. So I guess it wasn't really email, but same effect.

Sooke

Originally posted by Eidolon
LarryNC,

I can confirm that the HD stretching phenomena you write about is happening for me as well. Ive only had the HD box and TV for about two weeks so I didnt immediately recognize this as a "change" from the way the box handled HD stretching in the past. It is clearly a step back and quite annoying to have to go to that page on the menu and turn off stretching whenever you want to watch an HD strectched program. Id much rather the box just pass everything through untouched and let my TV handle the stretching. Anyone know how to do this?

Thanks . . .

It is doing the same for me as well. Has anyone contacted TWC yet to inquire if this is a bug or permanent change? If not, I will try to call tomorrow and find out. It is a pain to change back and forth. I did notice if I use my remote from my 8000 DVR, the '#' key will toggle through Zoom, stretch, or sidebar. However, my DVR is upstairs and my 3250HD downstairs. If they don't have a fix, then I'll have to trade in my 3250 remote for another DVR remote. Not sure if they will do that.

Originally posted by dwwall
If they don't have a fix, then I'll have to trade in my 3250 remote for another DVR remote. Not sure if they will do that.

They will. I'm pretty sure people have been requesting that remote for the Pace box for similar reasons.

I'm about to order a HD Projector - and so I want to go ahead and put a request in for a HD cable box from TWC in Cary. Here's what I don't know:

Is there more than one model that I may get? Is one preferred to another? Why?

How long does it take to get one? Are they still in short supply?

Originally posted by DavidVTHokie
I'm about to order a HD Projector - and so I want to go ahead and put a request in for a HD cable box from TWC in Cary. Here's what I don't know:

Is there more than one model that I may get? Is one preferred to another? Why?

How long does it take to get one? Are they still in short supply?

I think getting them is really easy. My brother picked one up from TW at Southpoint two weeks ago w/o any wait. I'm thinking about trading my 3100 in on a 3250 actually, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle. I can't use DVI easily (the HD box is connected to a pair of monitors) and I suspect my display devices do a better job of scaling anyway.

Erik

Originally posted by ewtroan
I think getting them is really easy. My brother picked one up from TW at Southpoint two weeks ago w/o any wait. I'm thinking about trading my 3100 in on a 3250 actually, but I'm not sure it's worth the hassle. I can't use DVI easily (the HD box is connected to a pair of monitors) and I suspect my display devices do a better job of scaling anyway.

Erik

I changed over from a 3100 to a 3250HD before I could use the DVI port, and I was glad. The 3250HD is much better - Current channel's programming appears in the little box when you're using the program guide (instead of the blasted promo channel) and the picture quality is better on HD, and much much better on SD.

I don't using scaling, so i can't comment on that. But I see no reason to hang onto the buggy 3100 when you can breeze by and swap it for a 3250.

Just my two cents!
Bob

Originally posted by Bob Michael
I don't using scaling, so i can't comment on that. But I see no reason to hang onto the buggy 3100 when you can breeze by and swap it for a 3250.

Bob

So you set up your 3250 to output the program's native resolution over compnent? I'm guessing that gives 480i for the non HD stations and either 720p or 1080i for the HD content? This feature, and analog sound getting mapped to digital, are the big reasons to upgrade as far as I can tell.

Do you know what it outputs for the HD channels when they're showing SD content? I'd like to hear 480i so my plasma can scale it (though 480p may work; dunno if my set can stretch that but it ought to be able to)

Erik

Originally posted by ewtroan
So you set up your 3250 to output the program's native resolution over compnent? I'm guessing that gives 480i for the non HD stations and either 720p or 1080i for the HD content? This feature, and analog sound getting mapped to digital, are the big reasons to upgrade as far as I can tell.

Do you know what it outputs for the HD channels when they're showing SD content? I'd like to hear 480i so my plasma can scale it (though 480p may work; dunno if my set can stretch that but it ought to be able to)

Erik

Erik,
The 3250HD - at least with the software TWC is running today - does not output native *program* resolution. It upscales everything to one output resolution selected by you: 480i, 480p, 720p, or 1080i. So everything HD and SD comes out at the resolution you select. Higher SW versions, which I figure we'll get someday, offers a wider range of output options (like 480p for all SD, and either 720p or 1080i for HD).

Although my set is 720p native, I've set the 3250HD to output 1080i. Most HD programming is 1080i, and my TV seems to do a better job of converting to 720p than the 3250. Not a huge difference; pretty subtle.

I did a quick search of this thread and saw in mid-February that NBC17 was having some problems with their HD stuff. I haven't been watching much HD on NBC because my signal strength wasn't so hot with the antenna in the attic.

Yesterday I moved the antenna to the roof and am now getting 82% for NBC (RF channel 55), but when I tune to 17.1 I get bumped to 17.2 and all I get is the SD signal. All my other HD channels are in the 80% - 95% range and come in fine.

Does anybody know what's going on? Is it just me, or is this a more global issue?

Thanks.

I see the same problem with the stretch mode. If you tell it to stretch 4:3 content, it stretches all content (and true 16:9 HDTV material looks terrible).
So much for testing software before you deploy it...



Originally posted by Eidolon
LarryNC,

I can confirm that the HD stretching phenomena you write about is happening for me as well. Ive only had the HD box and TV for about two weeks so I didnt immediately recognize this as a "change" from the way the box handled HD stretching in the past. It is clearly a step back and quite annoying to have to go to that page on the menu and turn off stretching whenever you want to watch an HD strectched program. Id much rather the box just pass everything through untouched and let my TV handle the stretching. Anyone know how to do this?

Thanks . . .

Anyone else getting a clicking/static noise on Time Warner's digital channels? I dont get the noise on the analog and it is not always there on digital. But it has been happening since yesterday.

Am I the only one?

Eidolon,

The only clicking noise I get is when I change channels. It is usuallly at a simple annoying level, but every now and then I'll change channels and get a really loud (perhaps speaker damaging?) click. I have the 3250. Can't remember if I had this problem with the 3100, but I don't think so. Never payed attention whether it happened on SD though. During just watching, no click.

pkscout,

Don't know about over the air but on TWC NBCHD has been dead all weekend. As some other poster once said about NBC, they can't seem to get their head out of their derrier to save their life when it comes to HD.

Anyone with TWC,

My guide for PBSHD has been completely inaccurate for a couple weeks. Most of the time now it even says "off air". But it is not off air thankfully. I just can't tell what the shows are about without watching for 10 minutes. Anyone else have this problem?

Thanks,


Sooke

Originally posted by Eidolon
Anyone else getting a clicking/static noise on Time Warner's digital channels? I dont get the noise on the analog and it is not always there on digital. But it has been happening since yesterday.

Am I the only one?

My wife complained to me that there is a clicking sound on the Disney Channel but that is the only channel that is having a problem. I used a 3250HD.

Larry

On some of the 2xx channels I get a white line at the top of my picture in both normal and stretch modes (but not zoom). I have a Samsung 507 and the Pace box, set on 720 and 16:9. I'm connected via DVI. (If I set it to pass through I get a violet line at the bottom and the white line at the top on normal channels such as channel 3 WRAL). Not all channels have this characteristic (eg 280 Discovery channel). It's pretty annoying - it's not a solid white line, and it "scrolls".

Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?

Barritt

Originally posted by sooke

My guide for PBSHD has been completely inaccurate for a couple weeks. Most of the time now it even says "off air". But it is not off air thankfully. I just can't tell what the shows are about without watching for 10 minutes. Anyone else have this problem?


Totally hosed. The only way I've been able to see what they're showing is to tune the station.

Erik

Originally posted by Barritt
On some of the 2xx channels I get a white line at the top of my picture in both normal and stretch modes (but not zoom). I have a Samsung 507 and the Pace box, set on 720 and 16:9. I'm connected via DVI. (If I set it to pass through I get a violet line at the bottom and the white line at the top on normal channels such as channel 3 WRAL). Not all channels have this characteristic (eg 280 Discovery channel). It's pretty annoying - it's not a solid white line, and it "scrolls".

Anyone else have this problem? Any suggestions?

Barritt

Make sure the aspect ratio on your Samsung 507 is set to WideTV, not WidePC. Can't think of anything else.

Sooke

PK - I see the same thing you do - whether you channel up from 17-0 or punch in channel 55 (both used to give 17-1), I get 17-2 and SD. Just to check the national feed, I went to 12-1, which was in HD, so this is an obvious local problem we hope 17 can fix soon.

Originally posted by LarryNC
My wife complained to me that there is a clicking sound on the Disney Channel but that is the only channel that is having a problem. I used a 3250HD.

Larry

Same thing on my 3250HD. However, on my 8000, it is fine. Another new "feature" of the software update week before last. :confused:

Not sure if this has been touched on- but with the recent upgrade to the 3250HD boxes, you can use your current remote control to toggle between zoom, stretch and sidebar. You don't necessarily need the DVR remote.

Press the bypass key and it does the trick. However, you can only change the aspect ratio on a non-hd channel.

Great tip on the bypass key; it's a lot easier than navigating through the settings. Would be nice if TWC would just fix their mistake, but this is a good workaround.

Just called in TWC about this problem a few of you have noticed already. I believe about a month ago this started. If you have a Widescreen TV and watch your SD channels in stretch/zoom mode from the STB, when you switch to a HD channel it continues to strech/zoom the channel which wasn't the case when I first receive this STB.

Not sure how and why they made this change but it doesn't make sense. So I explained it to the TWC rep today and they finally acknowledged the problem. Hopefully we will see a fix soon.

Btw I haven't been checking this forum lately, is the DVI port working now on the 3250. Last I heard was it was going to be enabled pretty soon.

Yes! The DVI port is working in Raleigh on the 3250.

Does anyone know why it is WRAL is only showing the HD NCAA games on TWC Digital Cable?

I get a great OTA signal and elect not to pay TWC for any more than is necessary. It is very disappointing to have WRAL basically tell me I have to pay to get HD signals from them for the tournament. What's even worse is that they were showing the SD version of the Georgia Tech game last night on at least one of their sub channels (5.1) - and two I think (5.2 as well). But the HD version was only available on TWC. I'm hoping this pattern doesn't continue all the way to the finals.

Originally posted by pkscout
I get a great OTA signal and elect not to pay TWC for any more than is necessary. It is very disappointing to have WRAL basically tell me I have to pay to get HD signals from them for the tournament. What's even worse is that they were showing the SD version of the Georgia Tech game last night on at least one of their sub channels (5.1) - and two I think (5.2 as well). But the HD version was only available on TWC. I'm hoping this pattern doesn't continue all the way to the finals.

My understanding is that WRAL had to choose between showing a single 1080i broadcast or showing multiple SD broadcasts using the same bandwidth; there isn't enough bandwidth allocated to them to let them run 1080i and alll of the SD subchannels. They decided to use their over-the-air bandwidth to show multiple games in SD rather then the single HD one. There feed to TWC doesn't have the same bandwidth limits as over the air, so they could rebroadcast the full feed through cable.

I'm hardly an expert on this stuff though, so I may not have it exactly right.

Erik

Yep, you're right. WRAL only has so much OTA bandwidth to go around - they can either show 1 HD game or multiple SD games.

Today was the first time they showed the HD game OTA - as there were no other games.

Last year, they actually multicast the SD games on WRAL digital and the HD games on WRAZ (fox). I guess they worked something out with TWC or didn't get the ok from WRAZ this year.

Today TWC showed the Georgia Tech/Kansas game in HD and then the Duke/Xavier game in SD. It was tough going back to SD after having watched the first game in HD. . . .

My TWC SA3250 cable box updated itself Sunday. Now I have no more clicks during channel changes. Can't find any other difference.

Maybe the clicks are gone for others who have complained on this board too.

FWIW.

Sooke

CBS only did the games in St. Louis in HD, hence why the second game today was in SD. Im also going to guess that they didnt put those HD games on WRAZ because there was also FOX programming and NASCAR in widescreen (yeah, not HD).

Just curious, does anyone else find the 11PM news promo on WRAL that runs during the 10PM shows completely annoying? (This is when they put the ad at the bottom of the screen and use the SD feed instead of the HD feed for about 30 seconds).

does anyone know if it's possible to connect both a dvi and component using the SA3250 - and switch back and forth to compare and contrast PQ?

Originally posted by gwall
does anyone know if it's possible to connect both a dvi and component using the SA3250 - and switch back and forth to compare and contrast PQ?

If you hook up a DVI cable to the 3250HD, the component outputs are disabled. So you can't switch back and forth very quickly at all!

Are there any folks out in the woods of orange county (like me) that are getting good OTA signals? If so, what kind of antenna are you using? With the stealth that came with voom I can only get the wunc stations (4.x) but I suspect that the fact the the installer used a diplexor and installed the antenna at the bottom of my roof might have something to do with it...

Thanks for any help!

mikedaul, is it possible the antenna is pointed in the wrong direction to get the others? I'm in Durham and pointing it West (toward Chapel Hill) gets me WUNC, it has to point east to get all the other stations.

Just to give everyone a heads up- I've received word that TNT HD will launch mid-May on Time Warner Cable- in time for the NBA Western Conference Finals. It will be available with the digital hd package - like Discovery HD- no extra charge.

I'm guessing TNT will have select programming in HD while the bulk with be upconverted in the early going.

No new info on ESPN.

HD DVRs looking like a summer launch.

icontrol hd movies is on the horizon as well.

If you have specific questions, emailing TWC is the best bet (as opposed to calling). They responded in less than a day (actually within two hours) to my inquiry. I'm guessing the emails get routed according to topic - so I thought I would pass along.

Originally posted by mikedaul
Are there any folks out in the woods of orange county (like me) that are getting good OTA signals? If so, what kind of antenna are you using? With the stealth that came with voom I can only get the wunc stations (4.x) but I suspect that the fact the the installer used a diplexor and installed the antenna at the bottom of my roof might have something to do with it...

Thanks for any help! I am using the biggest radio shack antenna on an 8 foot pole on my chimney mount on top of my two story house about 5 mi. west of chapel hill. I have it pointed at the towers in Clayton and most of the time get all the locals on my samsung -151.I also have occasionally received wfmy in greensboro,but not lately. I usually get all of channels 4,5,11,17,22,28,30,40,and50. My antenna is about the biggest antenna people used to use for analog, but it works great for me on digital.

Originally posted by gwall
It will be available with the digital hd package - like Discovery HD- no extra charge.


OK, I'm thoroughly confused. Why have an "HD Suite" if you're not going to add to it? As it stands, there are more HD channels outside the HD Suite than inside!

Originally posted by aldamon
OK, I'm thoroughly confused. Why have an "HD Suite" if you're not going to add to it? As it stands, there are more HD channels outside the HD Suite than inside!

Sounds like a good problem to have :)

I hope they do the same with ESPN HD whenever it shows up.

mikedaul, is it possible the antenna is pointed in the wrong direction to get the others? I'm in Durham and pointing it West (toward Chapel Hill) gets me WUNC, it has to point east to get all the other stations

Yeah, I imagine that's part of the problem too (the wunc tower is about 2 miles eastish from me, and the others are 37ish miles away to the west). Also, the antenna is at the bottom of the roof, so the whole roof is basically in the way of the other OTA stations. Ideally I'd like to use the existing stealth in conjunction with another antenna so I can continue to get pbs along with the other networks. Anybody know anything about doing something like that? Maybe I'll be forced into getting a rotator...

Thanks again for any help!

Mikedaul - that is absolutely impossible - don't you mean WUNC is 2 miles WEST and everything else is 37 miles EAST of you ?

I wouldn't be surprised if you'll need to raise your antenna above the house or moved to clear the house to get them in reliably.

Originally posted by aldamon
OK, I'm thoroughly confused. Why have an "HD Suite" if you're not going to add to it? As it stands, there are more HD channels outside the HD Suite than inside!

From what I heard in the past, TWC's goal is that when they add a HD channel like Discovery HD and already have the SD Discovery channel, then the customer should not be charged anymore (ie HD Suite). They want to put it in the standard digital package. If it is a brand new channel (HDNET) that is not available otherwise, then it will be added to the HD Suite at a premium. That is why it is taking so long to get ESPN HD. TWC wants to put it in the standard digital package, however the price that ESPN wants would require them to put it in the HD Suite. Why should we pay extra to get the same programming but just in HD (sometimes)?

Originally posted by dwwall
From what I heard in the past, TWC's goal is that when they add a HD channel like Discovery HD and already have the SD Discovery channel, then the customer should not be charged anymore (ie HD Suite). They want to put it in the standard digital package. If it is a brand new channel (HDNET) that is not available otherwise, then it will be added to the HD Suite at a premium. That is why it is taking so long to get ESPN HD. TWC wants to put it in the standard digital package, however the price that ESPN wants would require them to put it in the HD Suite. Why should we pay extra to get the same programming but just in HD (sometimes)?

Discovery HD Theater is NOT an upconvert of Discovery. It shows different programming. It's a different channel. The fact that it's outside of the HD Suite makes no sense. If/when ESPN HD gets added it will NOT be free. I guarantee it. That will confuse things even more.

Digital Tier: ABC, CBS, NBC, "FOX", PBS, TNT and the oddball Discovery HD Theater

Premium: HBO, Showtime

HD Suite: HD Net, HD Net Movies, INHD, INHD2, ESPN HD

Oh, and since the digital tier is not a free option, NO ONE on TWC is getting HD programming for free. You're already being charged twice for the same programming. The HD Suite is just more money on top of that. Triple dipping so to speak.

Originally posted by aldamon
Discovery HD Theater is NOT an upconvert of Discovery. It shows different programming. It's a different channel. The fact that it's outside of the HD Suite makes no sense. If/when ESPN HD gets added it will NOT be free. I guarantee it. That will confuse things even more.

Digital Tier: ABC, CBS, NBC, "FOX", PBS, TNT and the oddball Discovery HD Theater

Premium: HBO, Showtime

HD Suite: HD Net, HD Net Movies, INHD, INHD2, ESPN HD

Oh, and since the digital tier is not a free option, NO ONE on TWC is getting HD programming for free. You're already being charged twice for the same programming. The HD Suite is just more money on top of that. Triple dipping so to speak.

Technically speaking, you're getting the broadcast HD channels (along with Discovery) on top of the standard digital programming - channels that you wouldn't get if you didn't have an hd box. With HD Suite, you're adding more on top of that-- more like a double dip than triple...

Adding TNT HD is a good thing- more HD is always good. I'm guessing the contract signed to carry the hd feed stipulated that there be no extra charge for it.

TWC now has 3250HD boxes with firewire output!!! I called today and was pleasantly surprised that the CSR knew what I was talking about when I requested an HD box with firewire. He said they had just become available today. For those of us with D-VHS recorders this is a dream come true.

Anyone know if WRAL downgrades their OTA HD signal in comparison to what the send on TWC? I watched the Final Four games the other night on TWC and also recorded the OTA broadcast with my mythtv box. The picture looked fine on TWC but when I look at the OTA capture the picture gets kind of wavy/blurry whenever the camera has to pan in a hurry. An example is when the players go on a fast break and run across halfcourt the halfcourt line isn't exactly straight, its wavy...so is everything in the background (the crowd, etc).

I'm trying to figure out if this is the result of my mythtv setup or if this is just the result of WRAL saving some OTA bandwidth and sending a lower quality signal.

Ignore my post, it turns out the wavyness was due to an interlacing issue.

Well, I finally gave TWC the boot. Got tired of waiting for ESPN-HD and an HD-DVR.

In a futile effort to keep me as a customer, they offered the following information - some of which may or may not be old news to you guys:

TNT-HD will be added "mid-may" - free of charge to current HD customers (same way Discovery HD is offered). This channel will feature select NBA playoff games in HD and will upconvert most everything else.

ESPN-HD - still in negotiation. They mentioned something like a summer target launch - though that might have been the HD-DVR

HD-DVR - currently being tested in several small markets. They plan a full roll-out in the next couple months (possibly mid summer). No set dates.

So all TNT is planning to have in HD is NBA games? What a crock...seems if they are going to put together an HD channel, then they should air episodes of The X-Files, Law and Order, and whatever other shows were shot in HD in HD, as well as their original movies, non-original movies, and hopefully NASCAR in the fall. I hope youre wrong about the upconvert thing.

I read that TNT HD will feature a mix of HD content-- including NBA and NASCAR events, original movies/non-original. Other programming not in HD will be upconverted.

So shows like Law and Order and the like should be in HD.

So now what are you going to do for your HDTV content?

Originally posted by deArgila
Well, I finally gave TWC the boot. Got tired of waiting for ESPN-HD and an HD-DVR.

Originally posted by bagmouse7
So now what are you going to do for your HDTV content?

I would assume he's going to DirecTV, like I did way back when.

I've been using an old SA 3100 for my Sony KP-53HS10 TV and a newer SA 3250 box for my Sony GWIII.

Yesterday, I swapped out the 3100 for a Pace HD box. I even got the elusive AT8400 remote with the # key for zoom modes.

I set the output to "pass" which is great because it lets the TV handle the incoming signals, line-doubling the standard channels, and "anamorphic squeezing" the high-def channels (this is a 4:3 set). I was switching back and forth between the s-video and component video inputs to accomplish this with the 3100, so the pass feature is great.

The problem comes when I tune to Fox channel 250, which I guess is 480p, rather than true high-def. When I do this, I get a yellow message on-screen: "This signal is not available" I can't tell whether the message is from the TV or the cable box, but I'm guessing it is the TV.

Does anyone know what might be causing this? The same input works fine for a progressive DVD player, so I don't understand what the problem is.

| Never mind, I figured it out. The TV apparently doesn't support 720p, and
| Fox must be upconverting their 480p signal to 720p. With the box set to
| "pass," the 720p signal is passed along, and the TV generates an error
| message. Too bad I can't set the box to upconvert only HD signals to
| 1080 -- it is apparently all or nothing.

Sean

Some interesting news. I emailed Time Warner and asked them about carrying HD versions of the WB, UPN, and Cinemax.

Here is their response:

------------------------
It is up to the local WB and UPN affiliates to broadcast in high definition. Both affiliates are owned by Sinclair Broadcasting - a company that owns many affiliates throughout the nation. They are currently not broadcasting in HD.

We may add Cinemax HD in the future, however there are a few other HD channels that we are trying to add first - ESPN HD being one of them. Negotiations are ongoing at our Corporate office.

We are adding TNT HD in mid-May. Also, be on the lookout for iCONTROL OD MOVIES this summer.
------------------------

Look, over there: ESPN HD. Always trying to distract me! I'm one of those few souls that has absolutely no interest in ESPN, though I'm well aware of the interest from others.

It is news to me that the local UPN and WB stations don't broadcast in HD. I just assumed they did, and had no way of knowing as neither of my HD TVs have HD tuners in them.

I'm also surprised that they haven't added HD Cinemax yet, and apparently aren't currently working on it. Aren't they owned by the same parent company as Time Warner?

Sean

You need to do some reading of old stuff at AVS Forum about Sinclair and HDTV / 8vsb / COFDM...

Let's just say that I'm not too surprised that both of our Sinclair affiliates (22 and 28) are both doing LOW POWER (~9-10 KW) from their digital transmitters on the WRAL tower in Auburn. It also doesn't surprise me that they aren't doing HDTV either...

Actually, for now - I'm using an antenna and a Samsung t-151 - so I'm getting my HD free. These are slow months for me as far as "cable" channels are concerned, so I'm happy to wait a few months, save some money, and then see what the game looks like between TWC and satellite come college football season.

Does D*** or E**** actually carry the WRAL HD feed?
Thanks.

Originally posted by bagmouse7
Does D*** or E**** actually carry the WRAL HD feed?
Thanks.

Nope, right now you can only get the WRAL HD feed OTA or via Time Warner Cable.

In case you haven't noticed, it looks like TWC is offering one month free of HD Suite.

http://www.twcnc.com/digital_cable/hd_suite.htm

They don't post any of the details like if you don't cancel at the end of the month they will charge you over and over and over again.

They also show that TNT-HD is coming soon at no extra cost to digital subscribers. :)

I exchanged the 3100HD for a 3250HD today at the office in Durham. I asked for one with Firewire, but they told me that they don't have any with Firewire.

Do any TWC customers in the triangle have Firewire?

Originally posted by Erik Garci
I exchanged the 3100HD for a 3250HD today at the office in Durham. I asked for one with Firewire, but they told me that they don't have any with Firewire.

Do any TWC customers in the triangle have Firewire?

Erik,

I've asked for a firewire box and was told they aren't ready yet. If you read other posts in the hardware & HD recording forums, you'll see that TWC is giving out boxes with firewire in other locations. It seems we in the Triangle are doublely screwed; no firewire & no HD DVR. Other TWC locations have both. I suggest you escalate. Supposedly I'm on a waiting list to get one as soon as they are available. The FCC mandated cable companies have firewire by April 1st, 2004. I'm looking into escalating this to a higher (corporate) level and seeing if I can get some satisfaction.
Regards,

I called today to get status on the firewire boxes and supposedly they are close to being able to release them. They need to get some kind of sign off from corporate. No guarantees but it sounds like it could be available in a few weeks.

Ok, Im going to show my cluelessness on this one topic...what benefits will I get with an HD cable box with firewire capabilities?

Originally posted by ENDContra
Ok, Im going to show my cluelessness on this one topic...what benefits will I get with an HD cable box with firewire capabilities?

Primarily the ability to timeshift and archive via a D-VHS recorder (i.e. JVC 30K, 40K...etc). The ability to archive gives firewire an edge over HD DVR (assuming you want to archive of course). Some HDTV's such as Mitsubishi use firewire instead of DVI for digital input. Finally, others use firewire to record to their PC hard drive, using their PC as an archival and playback device.
Regards,

I live in Washington NC 25 miles east of Greenville NC, about 100 miles east of Raliegh Durham. I installed a Channel Master 3020 antenna (60uhf miles). I pick up CBS, ABC, NBC,SAH, FOX from the RDU market, however I only recieve the signal from around 7pm till about 9:30am, during the daytime I cant recieve the signal, WRAL faids in and out all day. I heard that the sun could becausing this, anyone had any prior experience with this? During the night the signals are just as strong as the signals from the stations here in this market.
heres all the signals Im currently recieving...

Greenville Washington New Bern market
2(1-5) UNC COLUMBIA NC
7-1 NBC
9-1 CBS
19(1-5)UNC(JACKSONVILLE NC)
21 FOX SEPT 1 2004
24 FOX UNDER REVIEW
25(1-5)UNC
48-1 ABC
48-2 UPN (SD)

RDU MARKET
5(1-20) CBS
11(1-3) ABC
17(1-3) NBC
30-1 SAH
50(1-3) FOX

ROANOKE RAPIDS
47(1-5) PAX VERY LOW SIGNAL ONLY RECIEVED A FEW TIMES FAINTLY

jamielee,

Although your 100 miles from Raleigh, the transmitters are just outside of Clayton, east of Raleigh so your about 80 miles from the transmitters. Your Raleigh signal experience is normal at that distance. Signals are almost always better during early morning and evening times. I think its less to do with the Sun per say and more due to weather activity differences bewtween day and night time temp (guess that is partly the Suns fault :) ) and there being more airway interferences during the day time. Plus tropospheric ducting is better during night times.

I'm also about 80 miles south of the transmitters. I experience the same situation with Raleigh stations down here in Pembroke NC.

I actually got the stations below the other night on my new LG LST-3510A:
Greenville Washington New Bern market
2(1-5) UNC COLUMBIA NC
7-1 NBC
9-1 CBS
48-1
48-3

Never got those on my old Toshiba DST3000 except 9-1 a few times.

Sorry, this isn't really HDTV-relevant (but I was watching an HDTV when I noticed it). But has anyone else noticed a terrible digital audio channel on Durham TWC's Turner Classic Movies? I mean, it's unlistenable - WAY too loud and severely distorted. Switch to analog and everything's OK.

I'm using both an SA3250HD and the PVR - same on both, only on TCM

Here is the response I received today from TW regarding the HD DVR and ESPN-HD rollouts. I haven't been following the threads closely enough to know whether any of this is new information.
----------------------------------



We anticipate releasing the SA Explorer 8000HD
(HD DVR) next month, however no concrete launch
date has been given. Continue to visit our website
for updates. Once more information is available,
we will send an email to those customers who have
inquired about HD DVRs. ESPN HD will be added to
HD SUITE once a contract is signed with the
network. Negotiations continue to take place at our
Corporate office in Stamford, CT to add this
channel to all Time Warner Cable systems. Since ESPN
HD is our number one requested channel, we are
anxious to launch it as soon as possible. If you
have further questions, please reply.

Anyone know if there has been some kind of firmware update to the SA3250 STB from Time Warner lately? Starting a few days ago, I'm getting a lot of pops and cracks sounds when using the STB. (When I use my DVD player everything is fine, so I don't think it is the TV). I probably get about 2-3 pops per minute. It is not periodic, instead it happens randomly.

Anyone else had any problems like this?

Oh, and channel doesn't matter. Happens on all of them.

Thanks,

Sooke

Hey, guys - I'm getting VOOM installed today - anyone else around here subscribe?

I'll post my initial thoughts after the install ...

Still no ESPNHD. Still no TNTHD. :(

INHD has shown me HD baseball. I want more!

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOW.

The voom installer just left and that's all I can say. So much HD content that I don't even know what to do with.

I thought the voom "exclusives" would be a bunch of crap - but I'm really excited about them. I saw part of a soccer game on worldsportHD and it was incredible. Then I saw highlights - I about lost it. (Note - I'm a soccer fan).

I got voom mostly because of ESPN-HD without a contract - but WorldsportHD might be my new favorite channel.

The HDNews channel is also cool - all the sports highlights are in HD (that I saw).

My HDTV is finally off the starvation diet it was on for so long with TWC. I'll post more when I have the time to check all this stuff out!!!!

Hey deArgila,

Good hear that you have Voom. I got the service about 2 weeks ago.

It's been great watching the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics on BravoHD. And yes, there is lots of HD content to watch.

Enjoy,

Jeremiah

Originally posted by deArgila
I'll post more when I have the time to check all this stuff out!!!!

Please do. Voom sounds like a great service.

Jeremiah and deArgila - some more quality comparisons between TWC and Voom would be appreciated. Also, number of other non-HD channels (eg., without DiscoveryKids it's a non-start in my household) and their quality. Any rain fade issues last weekend?

Thanks,
dagger

PS. Cost wise - +? -? or about the same??

You can get a listing of channels from the Voom website.

The non-HD channels they don't have that I would like to see are SciFi, HGTV and Food Network.

The quality of the video and audio are great. After getting excited about HDTV, I was dissatisfied with the number of HD channels on TWC and DirecTV. Even the old moves on the Voom exclusive channels are kewl to watch.

I did notice service disruption last week during the hard rain at my house. I was not watching television when the rain started, but did turn on the television to see if I was still getting a signal. Once I saw that I had no signal from the Voom satellite, I changed to the local OTA HD channel. I did not check how long I couldn't get a satellite signal.

There are a few things I don't like, but am willing to give Voom time to change. The way the guide works is awkward. It always default back to channel 100 when you select it, regardless of what channel you are on. You can select to guide to display only current HD broadcasts. But it only shows a 30 minute time frame.

I also have a PVR connected to the Voom box, and the composite and s-video connections are active at the same time as the component and DVI outputs.

Jeremiah

There hasn't been any rain since my install - so I can't really answer that question. On the voom forum, there have definitely been some complaints about that issue - however, in most cases, voom did a free exchange for a bigger dish (18" to 24") that seemed to solve the problem. If I have rain issues, that's definitely something I'll request.

The picture quality is phenomenal for HD - every bit as good as I was accustomed to on TWC. I think the SD channels on VOOM look noticeably better than they did on TWC (TNT, ESPN, etc).

I got Voom for the HD programming, so I'm not at all worried about SD channels like HGTV, SciFi or whatever - but I know they matter a lot to some people. Voom knows this and I'm sure they'll add anything that's glaring.

As far as cost - I'm sure it will vary by what you need. It's cheaper for me to Voom. $39.90 + $9.50 lease for 1 receiver. Digital cable for one receiver at TWC is $55.95. And with Voom, I get a TON more HD.

WorldsportHD, ESPN-HD, RaveHD, UltraHD, BravoHD, GalleryHD are the channels I'm most excited about that TWC doesn't have (probably in that order). Of course, there's DiscoveryHD, reports of TNT-HD when it comes out, and the locals - PBS, CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX.

If you're into premium channels (which I'm not really) - Voom is REALLY the way to go. With HBOHD (east and west), ShowtimeHD (E&W), CinemaxHD (E&W), StarzHD, EncoreHD, TMC-HD - that package is $79.90/mo. I'll stron gly consider it when they release their HD-DVR.

Speaking of their HD-DVR, it's going to be out of control. 2 Satellite Tuners + 2 OTA tuners will allow you to record any two HD shows at a time. It will also work as a house-media-server, connecting to other receivers throughout the house (and you can watch any shows recorded on the hard drive on any remote receiver, plus schedule recordings from those locations, or start a show on one TV, pause it and finish watching it on a different one!!!!!!!). I can't wait!!!

And the best part is - just like TWC - no equipment to buy, no installation charges (promotion), and no contract.

In our household, no HGTV = no Voom. My wife is an HGTV nut.

Yeah, though depending how many TV's you have and whether you have roadrunner, etc - it might be worth to subscribe to TWC for the analog channels ($40 - to feed your other TV's and give you any SD channels you "have to have") + get Voom for your main TV.

Though I have a feeling that once you get Voom - the analog TWC channels won't get much play. And with the no contract, free installation, no purchase - it's a choice you can afford to make.

Not worth it? Just cancel it. That's my plan. So far - so VERY VERY good.

Well someone at WTVD firmly has their head buried in their a$$ today. Still no HD on the Flyers-Lightning game, even after I called.

Finally fixed 2:30 into the first...but really, should it be necessary for me to call?

deArgila, do you have VOIP? We just switched to Vonage. I'm thinking this might be a problem with Voom.

I do not have VoIP - but my voom receiver is not currently connected to a phone line anyway.

According to Voom, the phone line will be/is a requirement - but the installer said it wasn't - it just would make pay-per-view unavailable to me (which I was fine with).

Anyone else having a problem getting WNCN through TWC the past 2 days? There was nothing but black up on the digital channels yesterday but was coming in fine OTA. Today its still nothing. Is it fair to say this is an issue on TWCs end or is this NCNs problem?

Digital TV magazine states that Turner Studios plans on launching TNT-HD
on May 17

aldamon,
I have VoIP with Vonage and there is not a problem with my Voom satellite receivers connecting.

The OTA antenna should allow you to get most local channels, PBS being the exception. For anyone in RTP area, I don't think you would need TWC for locals, unless it is for some of the other analog channels. But like deArgila said, you will quickly begin to hate their video quality.

If there is a channel your household must have before switching to Voom. I would say keep a watch on the channel lineup.

I just got VoIP with Vonage.. haven't been able to get the DirecTV TiVo receivers to connect with it yet. As I'm Googling, I'm seeing that's a common problem.

Originally posted by jeremiah75
aldamon,
I have VoIP with Vonage and there is not a problem with my Voom satellite receivers connecting.

The OTA antenna should allow you to get most local channels, PBS being the exception. For anyone in RTP area, I don't think you would need TWC for locals, unless it is for some of the other analog channels. But like deArgila said, you will quickly begin to hate their video quality.

If there is a channel your household must have before switching to Voom. I would say keep a watch on the channel lineup.

Thanks for the post. It's very helpful. We just got a new security system hooked up to Vonage and it wouldn't work until I called Vonage and had them change the "packetization level to 10." Keefer, you might want to try this. If the security system works, then the satellite would probably work too.

I'll keep looking for HGTV. It would be a shame to lose INHD and HDNET because of the NBA, NHL and MLB coverage, but I've been reading that they may be forced to open up the INHD to satellite. That would be sweet. HDNET will probably never make it Voom because of the bickering owners :( I think we can live without iControl HBO, but we'll have to see. :)

Can anyone pick up the off the air digital channels for UPN 28 or UNC?

My signal meter just go up and down and never locks. I have tried the move the antenna but nothing changes. Are they actually broadcasting something.

Matt

I am not seeing any OTA NBC HD broadcasts with my newly installed DirecTiVo HR10-250, which replaces a Sony HD-100. On the Sony I would see programs such as 'The Tonight Show' and 'ER' in widescreen HD, though I do not remember the channel. On my HR10-250 I am receiving:

17-1 WNCNDT
17-1 NBC17
17-2 WNCNDT

While I seem to be getting a HD or digital signal from these stations, I'm not seeing any HD programing as I did on my previous receiver. What am I missing? Is there another OTA NBC station I should be trying to get?

I'm new to this forum, so forgive me if this has been covered elsewhere in this long thread.

EDIT: Mystery solved. 'Tonight Show' is not broadcasting in HD this week.

I am currently using my Voom receiver for OTA, but I was using a Samsung T-151. I am able to receive (including subchannels)

5-1 - CBS/WRAL
11-1 - ABC
17-1 - NBC
22-1 - WB
28-1 - UPN (sometimes there are a lot of breakups, but it's been better with my voom receiver)
50-1 - FOX/WRAZ

4-1 - PBS comes in every once in a while - but that's expected because the tower is in a different location than where my antenna is pointed.

47-1 - PAX - same deal as PBS

I don't watch a lot of NBC, but what I have tuned in for recently has been in HD. 1

Originally posted by deArgila
I am currently using my Voom receiver for OTA, but I was using a Samsung T-151. I am able to receive (including subchannels)

5-1 - CBS/WRAL
11-1 - ABC
17-1 - NBC
22-1 - WB
28-1 - UPN (sometimes there are a lot of breakups, but it's been better with my voom receiver)
50-1 - FOX/WRAZ

4-1 - PBS comes in every once in a while - but that's expected because the tower is in a different location than where my antenna is pointed.

47-1 - PAX - same deal as PBS

I don't watch a lot of NBC, but what I have tuned in for recently has been in HD. 1 The only program I've checked is 'The Tonight Show'. Perhaps the station has stopped broadcasting that program in HD? I used to get it in HD on my Sony HD-100. We'll see what happens tonight with 'The West Wing' and tomorrow with "ER'.

FYI - I just read in the main HDTV forum that the Tonight Show will not be in HD this week because it is being broadcast from Las Vegas.

That may explain why you haven't seen it in HD on NBC recently.

So you guys are getting NBC17HD and SD, right? Im still getting nothing except for some occasional breakup through TWC...is this a TWC problem or NBC17 problem?

Originally posted by deArgila
FYI - I just read in the main HDTV forum that the Tonight Show will not be in HD this week because it is being broadcast from Las Vegas.

That may explain why you haven't seen it in HD on NBC recently. That was it! Got a nice HD recording of 'West Wing' tonight. All is well.

Originally posted by ENDContra
So you guys are getting NBC17HD and SD, right? Im still getting nothing except for some occasional breakup through TWC...is this a TWC problem or NBC17 problem?

Evidently, it's a TWC problem. They've had issues with NBC17 for a while.

twc-nc shows TNT-HD ready by May 21-June 2 for the NBA Western Conference Finals on TNT HD Ch. 281

I heard on 850 the buzz today that HDTV DVR's will be out soon for TWC. Anyone else heard of a time frame?

So, anyone else enjoy that lovely SD showing of the Preakness from WNCN? I called over there and asked them what was going on at like 5:30 and they said that the network was not showing it in HD. Of course many people were able to see it in HD as they have reported as such in the Preakness thread in the Programming Forum.

We should start banding together to get them to run their station professionally. The programs are out there, I can't believe people will not just flip the switch so we can see them.

I usually call the 836-1717 number and then press one for breaking news. Then I ask to speak to someone in engineering.

Yes, that was really lame. WNCN is HORRIBLE for HD - unrealiable most of the time.

I almost never watch NBC shows as a result.

Anyone have problems with WRAZ (Fox 50) OTA transmission on Monday night? It seemed to be jumping all over the place. I have a new OTA install that I did on Saturday, but all other stations from that location come in fine (NBC, CBS, ABC, UPN, WB). I also know that Fox came in fine on Sunday.

Just wondering if there might have been something wrong with their signal before thinking it is my antenna.

Jox

I emailed WNCN after the fact...focused on the Preakness and also mentioned the reair of Frasier that was apparently shown in HD on NBC, just not in Raleigh. Heres the reply:

It appears our HD receiver has an intermittent problem receiving the HD signal. We may lock it out until a replacement unit arrives, but no HD programming would be available while it is locked out. We're going to see what happens tonight during Las Vegas, and if it fails, we'll switch to the up converted signal for a few days.

I checked the automation log, and found Miami did not insert the HD switch trigger for the Preakness, but the command was there for Frasier. If Frasier was not in HD, then that's when the receiver started failing. New York reported a rain fade during the Preakness, but it wasn't a very long event.


Regardless of that, Im still getting CRAP through TWC...I can only get the analog SD channel...the digital channels from NCN are not watchable. Its just constant digital breakup, sometimes just complete lack of signal. This has been going on for over a week. Apparently Im the only one having this problem, as no one else has reported similar problems.

Originally posted by ENDContra

Regardless of that, Im still getting CRAP through TWC...I can only get the analog SD channel...the digital channels from NCN are not watchable. Its just constant digital breakup, sometimes just complete lack of signal. This has been going on for over a week. Apparently Im the only one having this problem, as no one else has reported similar problems.

Your not alone. Although I haven't experienced digital breakup yet. I have experienced no sound, out of sync sound, SD only, and no signal whatsoever.

Fortunately for me, the only NBC show I'm ever interested in is Jay Leno anyways.

Sooke

The WNCN DT network receiver has developed an intermittent problem, and we have switched to up-convert our regular programming until a replacement arrives. We expect the replacement to arrive Wednesday 5/19. The problem appears to have begun Friday night, and has caused audio and video problems this past weekend. This only affects our main 17-1 and TWC 217 channels. I'll let you know when we replace the receiver here.

Thank you very much for participating here. It is appreciated.

However, IMO, the issues at WNCN stretch beyond the recent issues with the HD encoder. In my experience, just about any special event is apt to be flagged incorrectly by the people in Miami, resulting in the SD feed going out instead of the HD. Also, there are other times that the HD feed does not get shown here, when it does in other areas. Is there anything that can be done such as writing letters, emails or calling people wth control over the Miami operation, that can possibly help the situation and convince the control center to make sure that the proper switching info is sent? I can imagine the issues that might come up with the Olympics based on the way other sporting events have been handled in the past.

Also, I would be happy to call Miami instead of the news line in Raleigh if I could just get the number for that center, that way the people who made the mistake can fix it, rather than the engineer on duty in Raleigh getting pulled off something to fix it.

Thanks

The best and quickest way to get something resolved or let us know of an issue, is to use the engineering e-mail link on our website under 'about NBC17/contact us. I have an Engineer in the building 20 hours per day, (most days). We check e-mail frequently, so we can get right on it. When it comes to the wrong version airing, I send those emails each day to Miami with a stern 'what's up with this?' note. They have been doing better, but they still drop one now and then. They can't change it once it's loaded in the schedule, so we have to switch it manually here.

Originally posted by NBC17ENG
The best and quickest way to get something resolved or let us know of an issue, is to use the engineering e-mail link on our website under 'about NBC17/contact us. I have an Engineer in the building 20 hours per day, (most days). We check e-mail frequently, so we can get right on it.

That's good to know!! I'll definitely be using this from now on. Thanks.

Thanks for the help NBC17...its nice to know that there are people at the local stations that are aware of problems and are trying to resolve these issues. Please, if possible, make sure ahead of time that your buddies in Miami send you the HD signal of the Belmont...horse racing looks incredible in HD, and I know a lot of people will be disappointed to have to suffer with SD.

TWC-NC.com as of yesterday lists TNT-HD as Coming May 21st.

So, anyone see TNT-HD yet?

I have it!!! But on Voom, not TWC. ;)

I'm seeing TNT-HD right now... Looks like the older content at least is stretched but I do like that everything, no matter what, including commercials is full 16x9. There are some HD commercials that I've seen so far, and the older content, while not looking bad, is certainly not HD quality (as expected). I'm anxious to see what the NBA game tonight looks like.

Rob

Good to see that Voom has TNT-HD. I had hoped they would offer new HD channels close to the time that other providers offered them.

Would be great if Voom could get InHD and HDNet soon.

Jeremiah

Rumor has it that Voom has contracts for 2 more HD channels. This would get them to their advertised "39 HD channels" - which their website claims they'll have by 6/1/04.

Most people think those two channels will be INHD and INHD2.

As far as HDNet and HDNet Movies, word is that it won't happen, as the owner of Voom and Mark Cuban have issues that they can't seem to get past.

IMO - who needs two channels of HDnet and HDNet Movie programming when you have 22 on Voom. (The Voom exclusives have a lot of the same content as those two HDNet channels).

Plus, with Voom, you get ESPN-HD, BravoHD+, tons more premium movie channels in HD - and still no contract, no equipment to buy, free installation (though that's supposed to change at the end of this month).

Voom is the place to be for HD.

Jeremiah - PS, channel 521. You might need to reboot your receiver and wait for the program info to download. I did.

Thanks deArgilla,

If you want the most HD content possible, Voom is the service to have.

I didn't watch much HDNet Movies. But I do miss some of the content on HDNet.

You know how consumers are, they always want more.

Originally posted by jeremiah75
I didn't watch much HDNet Movies. But I do miss some of the content on HDNet.

You know how consumers are, they always want more.

For sure. You won't see me complain if they ever get their issues resolved ;)

hmmmm
I didn't have any sound on tnt-hd via TWC at 7:00 and still don't. I guess I am seeing the proper channel, it looks like law and order or something.
All the other channels are fine. cbs, nbc, abc, fox, disc-hd
fwiw - reception via a LST-3100A

All I can say is that TNT-HD is looking great at the start of the game.

Hi, new to the forum. I just got the HD Direct Tivo. I got a square shooter antenna from value electronics but having problems getting my OTA signals. Signal and sound break up constantly. Signal strength goes from 90 to 10 to 80 to 0 to 20..... in a matter of 10 seconds. I'm kinda a novice to this stuff and was looking for some advice - better antenna, certain kind of way to mount, etc. I'm pointing it in the direction antennaweb tells me to but actually tend to get a slightly better signal pointing in the opposite direction. any thoughts would be greatly appreciated?

Originally posted by Rob!Todd
I'm seeing TNT-HD right now... Looks like the older content at least is stretched but I do like that everything, no matter what, including commercials is full 16x9. There are some HD commercials that I've seen so far, and the older content, while not looking bad, is certainly not HD quality (as expected). I'm anxious to see what the NBA game tonight looks like.

Rob

I welcome TNT-HD, but wish they *wouldn't* stretch 4:3 material. We can make that decision for ourselves, and my TV doesn't require the use of stretch modes.

But the PQ does look pretty good on the newer stuff.

I'm very pleased with TNT-HD. It's a very nice addition to TWC.

^ You must be kidding

A heads up....WRAL will be carrying the Presidential address tonight even though CBS is not, so the season finales of Yes, Dear and Still Standing will air tomorrow night at 7PM...and most likely, they WONT be in HD.

NBC17ENG - just want to say thankyou for participating in this forum!

Looks like NBC 17 HD has went to $hit again.

SA 3250HD boxes with IEEE 1394 (firewire) output are now available (I have one). I am recording successfully except for Showtime HD which has no audio. This seems to be a problem at other locations as well. I received a note regarding HD DVR's also. Here is the response:

"We anticipate releasing HD DVRs in early June, however no concrete launch date has been given. We have pushed back the initial launch timeframe to June so we will have an ample supply of HD DVRs for the initial rollout."

Excellent news about the HD DVR gillcup. I can't wait!

Originally posted by gillcup
"We anticipate releasing HD DVRs in early June, however no concrete launch date has been given. We have pushed back the initial launch timeframe to June so we will have an ample supply of HD DVRs for the initial rollout." [/B]


I just signed up for TWC this past week and I got the same response from about 4 different people. They're really good at the party line. I also asked what the fee would be to rent the box, and they seemed to indicate it would be the same as the SD PVR, $6.95, but no one really seemed to know for sure.

I'm out in the woods chapel hill and just got my ota equipment setup this weekend. I can pull in the digital versions of PBS, NBC, ABS, CBS and FOX fine, but I'm only getting around 40% (and no picture) for UPN and WB. They are all supposedly at the same antenna farm, yet UPN and WB are listed as blue on antennaweb for me while the others are red. Are these 2 stations broadcasting with less power or something like that? Just curious what others are experiencing...

Yep - our local WB and UPN stations are run by Sinclair Broadcasting (known for their low enthusiasm of HDTV) and they are on STA's (Special Temporary Authority) for low power transmission of their ATSC channels. - I beleive each station is using less than 10KW transmission power.

Does anyone know if Time Warner is working on adding the signal "pass through" capability for the 3250 boxes for our area? I have a couple of Pace boxes and one SA 3250. I like the 3250 better than the Pace, but I like the ability of the Pace to pass through signals unaltered (without scaling them).

Sean

ah ha - so that explains it! Thanks for the info Scooper.

NBC 17 DT is off the air due to a cooling line burst at the transmitter. The transmitter building is flooded with glycol, and we hope to patch the leak and get the transmitters fired back up as soon as possible. It's a sticky mess to clean up, and I just had the floors stripped and waxed!

The analog transmitters are not affected.

WNCN-DT signed back on about midnight. The repairs and clean up took 4 hours to complete.

NBC17ENG, thanks for the info. In time for tonights premiere of Come to Papa. :)

Hey, I love a good industrial accident picture. ;)

OK, it's early June...

Any HD-DVR sightings?

Sooke

sooke - my installer told me he heard september. who knows though...

Originally posted by sooke
OK, it's early June...

Any HD-DVR sightings?


I don't know about TWC, but I have one of the HDTiVos from DirecTV and love it. I got on a preorder list in January and got one of the first 200 or so shipped commercially. With 30 hours of HD recording (or 200 of SD) and that ability to record two shows at a time (OTA as well as satellite) it really is a nice box. If you're tired of waiting for TWC and can get satellite, it might be worth a look.

Originally posted by sooke
OK, it's early June...

Any HD-DVR sightings?


I called today and they said the standard "sometime in June, we don't have a specific date"

Matt

Originally posted by pkscout
I don't know about TWC, but I have one of the HDTiVos from DirecTV and love it. I got on a preorder list in January and got one of the first 200 or so shipped commercially. With 30 hours of HD recording (or 200 of SD) and that ability to record two shows at a time (OTA as well as satellite) it really is a nice box. If you're tired of waiting for TWC and can get satellite, it might be worth a look.

Yeah, but $999. Ouch.

j.

p.s. - Does anyone know if any TWC NC employees frequent this forum? I'm trying to order Time-Warner service for my new home in NC from CA (where I currently) reside. TWCNC makes it very difficult. The online forms suck if you want to order multiple services from them (cable, internet, phone) and you get zero confirmation once completing the form. The 866 # on their website cannot be reached from CA, and the local service center #'s I tried are constantly busy. They seem not to want my business, but BellSouth sucks so much more, I'm trying my darndest to give it to them...

Originally posted by jaysoffian
The 866 # on their website cannot be reached from CA, and the local service center #'s I tried are constantly busy. They seem not to want my business, but BellSouth sucks so much more, I'm trying my darndest to give it to them...

I'm pretty happy when dealing with twc-nc locally... 919-595-4TWC normally works for me, but it has been busy lately. Things seem a little more busy at the start of the month.

Originally posted by jaysoffian
p.s. - Does anyone know if any TWC NC employees frequent this forum? I'm trying to order Time-Warner service for my new home in NC from CA (where I currently) reside. TWCNC makes it very difficult. The online forms suck if you want to order multiple services from them (cable, internet, phone) and you get zero confirmation once completing the form. The 866 # on their website cannot be reached from CA, and the local service center #'s I tried are constantly busy. They seem not to want my business, but BellSouth sucks so much more, I'm trying my darndest to give it to them...

Thay have been unusually busy the last week -- dunno why. Before now I've always gotten right through on the local numbers.

Fwiw, I have to give TWC-NC a big kudos on customer service. I used satellite for years until I moved into my most recent house, and switched to TWC for the HD content and roadrunner (it's a new neighborhood and I never got a good answer on DSL). So far, Time Warner has been great. There roadrunner service has been reliable, the tech support on it doesn't suck, and when we've had cable cuts (2 in 2 days thanks to some drainage work being done) they were both fixed within four hours. I've been shocked by how good their service has been. The only things I'm really unhappy about are no HD DVR (which I've just decided to blame Scientific Atlanta on) and no ESPN HD (which is a corporate problem).

Erik

Originally posted by ewtroan
I've been shocked by how good their service has been. The only things I'm really unhappy about are no HD DVR (which I've just decided to blame Scientific Atlanta on) and no ESPN HD (which is a corporate problem).

Well, if the delay gets the quality of DVR up (which I doubt), I'm willing to wait. I've already taken one Explorer 8000 back with a dead hard drive. The new one works a little better, but is still slow to respond and stutters often.

I would really love it if Time Warner could drop the PowerTV Explorer hardware for something better. I still hope that Moxi (website here (http://www.digeo.com/index.jsp)) will make it one day. They just added PowerKEY support last month, so Time Warner could (in theory) deploy it on their network. I'm betting that it's still too expensive...

In defense of the 8000 DVR - I have had 2 since TWC first gave them out and have not had one problem with either. Several of my friends also have the 8000 and zero problems. The 8000 DVR's gets heavy usage from the wife and kids - and they have not been able to break them yet.

Originally posted by ewtroan
The only things I'm really unhappy about are no HD DVR (which I've just decided to blame Scientific Atlanta on) and no ESPN HD (which is a corporate problem).

Erik

These are the exact two reasons I dumped TWC for Voom. I'm still waiting for the HD-DVR (similar timeline expected - October, I think) - but at least I've been enjoying the many ESPN-HD events that have been on and will be on before TWC gets their head out of their a$$.

Originally posted by deArgila
These are the exact two reasons I dumped TWC for Voom. I'm still waiting for the HD-DVR (similar timeline expected - October, I think) - but at least I've been enjoying the many ESPN-HD events that have been on and will be on before TWC gets their head out of their a$$.

Need an antenna, switch to DSL, reprogram pronto...

Inertia wins. No matter how much my two year old enjoys saying "VOOM!" (which he
does enjoy. a lot)

Erik

Does anyone NOT hear a "pop" when they change channels to RALHD or RAZHD using the SA3250 box from TWC?

I occasionally here this "snap" or "pop" when changing to those two channels. No problem with other channels. Sometimes it is pretty loud.

I am trying to determine if this is an issue with MY SA3250 box (which I could fix by swapping it in for another) or if it is an issue with all of them. I'm about to invest in a receiver/speaker system and I was kinda worried about damage to it. Would like to fix this issue first.

Thanks,

Sooke

Hi all! I'm new to the forums, great place though.

Some news on the HD DVR front..

I spoke with a TWC employee today, they said that they have the actual SA8000HDs in stock, waiting to go, but they do not have the software yet. They said that as soon as they receive and install the software onto them, then they'll be ready for launch.

It's getting closer folks!

Also on the popping issue, I have an SA3250, and I've never heard the audio popping on any channel whatsoever.

I do have to say, I've really enjoyed TW's service in Raleigh, I've never experienced a single problem with any of it, and they've always been responsive to what ever questions I had. While it would be nice to have ESPN-HD, I know that it's outside of the Raleigh office's control. In fact, knowing the Disney corporation, I'm willing to bet that the hold-up is more on their end than Time Warner's.. (wanting some obscene amount for Time Warner's picking it up)

Welcome to the forum macnbc!

Maybe I'll try swapping the box. Ofcourse, it would be nice to swap it for the HD-DVR :) Hope they get the S/W soon.

Sooke

sooke, I sometimes hear the "pop" when changing channels on the 3250. It is not really loud enough that it ever made me think it was going to damage any av gear.

Originally posted by kenstr
sooke, I sometimes hear the "pop" when changing channels on the 3250. It is not really loud enough that it ever made me think it was going to damage any av gear.

Yeah, I'm probably being a worry wart. But it is also annoying.

Sooke

Originally posted by ewtroan
Need an antenna, switch to DSL, reprogram pronto...

Inertia wins. No matter how much my two year old enjoys saying "VOOM!" (which he
does enjoy. a lot)

Erik

Except that ...

1. they provide and install the antenna (for free)
2. you can keep roadrunner - I did
3. the voom remote is layed out very similar to the TWC remote - (I also have a pronto) - reprogramming took 30 seconds.

PS - and my 3 year old not only enjoys saying Voom - but watching it ;) Animania's cartoons in HD are cool.

NBC 17 continues to amaze me. Now for some reason their HD channel is broadcasting the NBC Evening News rather than Come to Papa in HD. Its so sad its funny. Maybe one day the people at NBC, whether its on the local side or in Miami or wherever, will get their head out of theid a$$...it doesnt take a genius to figure out that what they are sending out now isnt right.

Feel free to e-mail us on our website, and someone can over-ride the automation or call New York for the proper feed. We do not record, playback, time delay, or mess with the network feed in any way. What you see is what we get. We just pass it along.

Originally posted by NBC17ENG
Feel free to e-mail us on our website, and someone can over-ride the automation or call New York for the proper feed. We do not record, playback, time delay, or mess with the network feed in any way. What you see is what we get. We just pass it along.

I don't want you to take this the wrong way, but it would be more helpful if someone on your staff would do the quality control rather than leaving it to us. Since I have an HDTiVo, I record the HD and watch it later. So I can't really help you. I can get upset when, for instance, I have to watch the West Wing season finale I TiVo'd on 60% of my HD display because nobody switched to the HD feed so I got the wide screen in 4:3 instead. I could have emailed you when I found out, but it was two weeks after the broadcast.

What connections are on the back of the current HD boxes. I'm getting an HD set and want to know what cables to get. I've heard that it has DVI, component and Svideo. Is this true? Also what audio outputs are there? They say that HDnet Movies has 5.1 surroundsound, but i checked on the TWC website and the connection guide they had showed no digital outputs and only component video.

I've got a PACE box and mine has (from memory)

DVI out
Component Video out
S-Video Out
Composite Video out
Digital Audio out (coaxial)
Composite Audio out
Component Video in

I think that's it but like I said, I'm not sitting in front of the box (and I think I'm using every single one of them except composite video out!)

BE SURE TO ASK FOR A DVI BOX IF YOU WANT DVI! I asked for it and still the installer brought me one of the older HD boxes without it. I ran it up to the local TWC office and they exchanged it.

Also TWC will NOT supply you with s DVI cable. They will supply you with component video and composite audio cables if you ask for them.

Jarrett

How are the component video cables? I was going to get the monser cables but are the ones they give you just as good? (Also, is there a monthly fee for them other than the cost of the box?)

Originally posted by George Crowell
How are the component video cables? I was going to get the monser cables but are the ones they give you just as good? (Also, is there a monthly fee for them other than the cost of the box?)

I actually used the ones they gave me to hook up my DVD player :)

Right now, I have both a Monster DVI hookup and a "Wal-Mart" Component Video hookup and the only difference I see is that on the SD channels, I don't get "sparkle" artifacts with component video like I do on the DVI input. As for watching HD through DVI vs. cheap component cables, I'm have a hard time identifying the difference (but then again, I'm not the world's expert on PQ either.)

George,

I'm using a Scientific Atlanta 3250HD and the ports on the back are the same as Jarrett described on his Pace..

We used both the component cables provided before the DVI port went active, and now we use the DVI port.

To tell the truth, I really don't notice a difference between the two. But like Jarrett, I'm no PQ expert.

I think you'll be fine with the component cables that came with the box, no need to spend an obscene amount on Monster cables.. there's no charge for TWC's cables other than the usual box cost.

Also, to NBC17ENG:

If you want us to do the quality control work for your station, then how about you pay us for it?

Originally posted by macnbc
George,

Also, to NBC17ENG:

If you want us to do the quality control work for your station, then how about you pay us for it?

Woah, let's hold on here! NBC17ENG does NOT get paid to post in this forum (as far as I know). He has recently started participating and I think it is great that we can talk to one of the local engineers via this forum. Let's not beat up the poor guy, he is obviously trying to hear us and respond via his participation here. Let's NOT run him off in the first few weeks he is wiling to post here!

NBC17ENG thanks from me for participating, sorry not all of our folks want to play nice!

Thanks,
Bob

NBC17ENG thanks from me for participating, sorry not all of our folks want to play nice!


Ditto from me. I know it can be rough when you have to deal with a broken feed from upstream...

Originally posted by willobandb
NBC17ENG thanks from me for participating, sorry not all of our folks want to play nice!

I certainly don't feel my post was not playing nice. It was pointing out what I feel is a deficiency at NBC17. That is, there seems to be nobody monitoring the HD broadcasts to make sure things are going out correctly. It is possible that they don't do any active monitoring of the SD broadcast, in which case having someone monitor the HD may not be an option. None the less, it is frustrating to be able to receive HD but never know for sure what we're gonna get. In some ways, nothing would be better than not knowing from day to day what we're going to get.

I would hope constructive criticism like this would be OK in this thread.

Originally posted by pkscout
I certainly don't feel my post was not playing nice. It was pointing out what I feel is a deficiency at NBC17. That is, there seems to be nobody monitoring the HD broadcasts to make sure things are going out correctly. It is possible that they don't do any active monitoring of the SD broadcast, in which case having someone monitor the HD may not be an option. None the less, it is frustrating to be able to receive HD but never know for sure what we're gonna get. In some ways, nothing would be better than not knowing from day to day what we're going to get.

I would hope constructive criticism like this would be OK in this thread.

Agreed, key word is constructive. I don't think your post asked to be paid for QC work. That is less than constructive IMHO.

Thanks,
Bob

This forum is a great tool for all of us, and we certainly share your frustrations when things go wrong. It's hard to not take comments personally, but the end result is usually a better product. When the cooling line burst on the transmitter, you guys were the first to know about it.

I can write several pages about how viewers have helped resolve problems. Your calls, your emails, and this forum are all tools we use to fix the problems. I keep my eye on our signal as much as possible, even at home, for free, but I can't catch every glitch.

OTA and cable boxes react differently to the bitstream, so the more information we get from different setups, the better signal we can deliver. We don't hold secret meetings to decide how we can mess up your viewing each night. Human error will miss a switch command now and then, but they have been doing much better lately because I send them your comments each morning after it happens.

I'm not holding back anything from you, why should you hold back information from us? Good, bad, or down right ugly, feedback is the best tool we have right now.

I don't think WNCN has complete control over HD switch ( I may be wrong). But I think I read that its done in Florida. If thats the case then theres a good reason. They're staring out the windows at the thongs on South Beach. :D

Now for some different type of news.

I just noticed an ad on TV about NOW audio video. The lady who owns it was saying something about this being her last ad and the NOW stores had been sold to Tweeter.
I have never set foot in a Tweeter so I don't know if this is good or bad.

From reading the forum posts, Tweeter sounds like it is roughly the same as NOW. Good prices, above average product lines with some decent sales staff that are knowledgable about the products and set them up correctly. Time will tell of course.

What is perhaps MORE important to note is the lady who owns NOW said the stores would be closing on June 30 and they were having some GREAT sales. Plus we can always hope that Tweeter, whenever it arrives, will have some store-opening sales too.

The end result is if we pay attention PERHAPS there would be some good bargins at NOW in the next couple weeks. I am at least going to stop in and look around and see what the scoop is. :-)

Yeah, I got a card in the mail about a month ago from NOW saying they were going to be no more and Tweeter would be in their place.

So did I. Unfortunately, I'm not in a position to take advantage of it right now...

Originally posted by WildBill


What is perhaps MORE important to note is the lady who owns NOW said the stores would be closing on June 30 and they were having some GREAT sales. Plus we can always hope that Tweeter, whenever it arrives, will have some store-opening sales too.

There was an article in the N&O a few weeks ago regarding the sale and the impression I got was that none of the Now stores would be closing. They will still be called Now! Audio/Video for the near future (through the end of the year) and eventually would be renamed Tweeters. Also the card I received states:

"...I decided to sell the business to our friends at Tweeter because we know they will take care of our customers just like we would and the transition will be seamless ."

I like the Now chain and hope the transition to Tweeters is positive.

Mark

Originally posted by gillcup
"...I decided to sell the business to our friends at Tweeter because we know they will take care of our customers just like we would and the transition will be seamless ."

So when theres 1 customer in the store, the 10 employees will stand around and look at each other rather than bothering to help? Cool, at least I know theres still no reason to bother with these jokers.

Originally posted by NBC17ENG
Feel free to e-mail us on our website, and someone can over-ride the automation or call New York for the proper feed. We do not record, playback, time delay, or mess with the network feed in any way. What you see is what we get. We just pass it along.

My only problem with this is that I seriously doubt an email is going to get a quick response. Ive tried phoning in a problem before, but theres usually no one at the main desk and the people at the newsdesk are morons and will not transfer me to an engineer/MC. Also, you must be doing something with the network feed because Ive seen local commercials during primetime programming....only on one occasion have I seen the Peacock animation during the local break.

Now has some awesome deals, i was in there when I was looking at getting a DLP. They had the 46" tantus for 2800 and change. the 50" was 3000, both were HLN series and this was before the HLP was released earlier this week.

The only problem is that they aren't buying any new stock becuase they are selling.... so I couldn't get the HLPs there if I wanted one. I would recommend checking it out, I think what they dont sell they lose, so I'm sure you can get some good deals near the end of the month.

Originally posted by NBC17ENG

I'm not holding back anything from you, why should you hold back information from us? Good, bad, or down right ugly, feedback is the best tool we have right now.

Here's a quick report on my experience tonight watching Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

I have a Sony XBR950 connected directly to Time Warner cable. I'm tuned into the QAM signal, it shows up as channel 111.2. The XBR950 has a Toslink audio output that I have connected to my AV receiver. Everything looks good, but the audio is delayed. I tuned quickly to Fox where Arrested Development was showing. The audio looked fine there, so I don't think the problem is with my set's processing. I've seen (less than constructive) complaints in the forum about audio delay. Anyone else still seeing it?

Matt

Originally posted by mswilson
I've seen (less than constructive) complaints in the forum about audio delay. Anyone else still seeing it?


One more thing. I get some nasty click/pop noises during commercial breaks. Seems to happen a lot when switching back to HD.

Originally posted by ENDContra

My only problem with this is that I seriously doubt an email is going to get a quick response. Ive tried phoning in a problem before, but theres usually no one at the main desk and the people at the newsdesk are morons and will not transfer me to an engineer/MC. Also, you must be doing something with the network feed because Ive seen local commercials during primetime programming....only on one occasion have I seen the Peacock animation during the local break.

Email works best. The main desk shuts down at 5:30, and we discussed the newsdesk issue Wednesday, after I was ringing and on hold for several minutes Tuesday night. I now have a hotline I can get someone else on now. Transfer? To whom? There is no master control, and increasingly, no engineer on duty. Florida sends a command to switch between our network receiver and our local up-converter for breaks. Nothing else is done or added.

Originally posted by mswilson
Here's a quick report on my experience tonight watching Law and Order: Criminal Intent.

I have a Sony XBR950 connected directly to Time Warner cable. I'm tuned into the QAM signal, it shows up as channel 111.2. The XBR950 has a Toslink audio output that I have connected to my AV receiver. Everything looks good, but the audio is delayed. I tuned quickly to Fox where Arrested Development was showing. The audio looked fine there, so I don't think the problem is with my set's processing. I've seen (less than constructive) complaints in the forum about audio delay. Anyone else still seeing it?

Matt

That one we are working on. The problem is the delay changes from show to show, and even during the same show, depending on the amount of motion in the video stream. (go back and read the NASCAR race posts where it was almost two seconds off)

I'm confident we can get that tweaked soon.

Originally posted by mswilson
One more thing. I get some nasty click/pop noises during commercial breaks. Seems to happen a lot when switching back to HD.

The pop I am hearing is actually way upstream when the NTSC switches from local events to Miami. The actual HD switches seem clean to me. I know it is hard for you to tell what is local and what comes from Miami, but basically, the HD feed, News, local promos, station ID's and PSA's are the only material coming from Raleigh. Everything else, NTSC shows and commercials, come from Miami.

Most breaks end with a local station ID, so i'm sure that is the pop you hear going back to the HD. It is the analog switch, but it does not show up in the analog feed, although they are the same.

It's been annoying me too, and I have not found any reason it shows up on the digital feed and not the analog feed. It's high on our list to resolve because speakers, amps, and ears don't like pops.

Flipping through the on-screen guide last night, I noticed that Summerville on the WB was listed as an HD program. Now I know the whole bit about Sinclair and HD, but why would the program info say it was in HD if I receive WB22 over the air? Shouldn't the description be coming from the same source as the broadcast?

mswilson (Matt)
I sent you a PM with a question about your QAM reception via TWC.
Essentially I can't recieve TNT-HD AUDIO. (video is fine)

Just called TWC to ask about the HD-DVR's and was told to try back in late June.

Just figured I'd post and FYI that this is the latest company line...

Rob

Originally posted by ENDContra
So when theres 1 customer in the store, the 10 employees will stand around and look at each other rather than bothering to help? Cool, at least I know theres still no reason to bother with these jokers.
(snip)

Sorry you've had that experience, but mine has been the opposite, in the Durham store. Always gotten very good service, and prices that often beat the nearby Circuit City and Best Buy.

I'm sorry to see another independent get taken over, but I hope Tweeter can retain something like the quality of equipment currently at Now.

I'm glad your experience at the Durham store was a good one, but I can say that the Cary store has been nothing but a hassle for me, and the Raleigh one is only marginally better. This is in sharp contrast to how they were just a couple of years ago. They've really gone downhill, and I'm not surprised at all to see them close.

Sean

I've been really happy with the Raleigh and Durham stores. The people in Cary did tend to pay little attention until you asked them for help or indicated that you're ready to buy. That bothers some people, while other people appreciate it.

I regularly shop at the store in Raleigh, even though the Cary store is closer. I did go to Cary once to play some DVDs on the Sony KDF-70XBR950 they had on display, make some physical measurements of the set, etc. I actually appreciated the salespeople leaving me alone, since I just wanted an hour with the set and my DVDs without being hassled...

I think a lot of the experience has to do with the salespeople you're interacting with. With a store like NOW, I could build a relationship with people I buy from. I hope the same is true with Tweeter (and it should be, as long as they don't have massive staffing changes)...

I also had a "so-so" impression of Audio Now! I recently bought my HDTV from Consumer Direct in Raleigh. I had a much more favorable impression of my experience there (and was very impressed with their prices)

http://www.consumer-direct.com/

Originally posted by WildBill
mswilson (Matt)
I sent you a PM with a question about your QAM reception via TWC.
Essentially I can't recieve TNT-HD AUDIO. (video is fine)

Wow, I didn't realize you could tune TWC with a QAM tuner ...

deargila, you have a pm. :)
But essentially TWC and a few other major broadcasters are starting to broadcast the HD signals in the QAM format unencrypted over cable that match the local OTA HD signals. Premium channels are most often still encrypted and require a subscription of some sort.

For me, living in a low area of Apex, it is a blessing because even with a roof mounted antenna I had really bad multipath issues for years using a Toshiba DST3000 for OTA reception only.

Originally posted by WildBill
deargila, you have a pm. :)
But essentially TWC and a few other major broadcasters are starting to broadcast the HD signals in the QAM format unencrypted over cable that match the local OTA HD signals. Premium channels are most often still encrypted and require a subscription of some sort.

For me, living in a low area of Apex, it is a blessing because even with a roof mounted antenna I had really bad multipath issues for years using a Toshiba DST3000 for OTA reception only.

Okay, I'm curious about more details (and finally had to register so I could post this question). I live in a low area of Cary and am not getting good OTA reception (although I have yet to try getting a professional out to work on my antenna setup). I have DirecTV for primary TV, but if I can get my local stations in HD through TWC (I have RoadRunner already) without buying a full digital cable package or receiver, I'm all ears. I'm more than willing to pay for basic cable to get this. I already have an HD DirecTV receiver that can handle an HD signal from either cable or OTA (Samsung SIR-TS360).

Everybody, I know this is off topic and I'm sorry. I just need a little input from TWC customers about some audio problems. I get TWC out of Lumberton NC. It comes from Fayetteville NC which gets its feed from Raleigh NC devision. For a few months now I've had some audio problems with the followng channels:

5 - WRAL - no stereo[buzz]
8 - PAX - left channel dominant[right very low]
14 TWC NEWS- right channel dominant[left very low]
26 - CNN - buzz during dialog
27 - SPIKE - mono[lost stereo]
28 - TNT - mono[lost stereo]
30 USA - mono[lost stereo][slight buzz during dialog]
31 - ESPN - mono[lost stereo]
35 - VH1 - left channel dominant[right very low]
55 - OXYGEN - left channel only[nothing from right]
66 - FOOD NETWORK - right channel dominant[left very low]

Just recently Fayetteville made some changes for Digital Phone service. Most of these channels were messed up before the change. A couple weren't but a couple others were but aren't anymore since the recent work. So I take that as it being a TWC problem and not the stations problem. I've spoke several times with the techs from Lumberton and even after a service call the tech said it was a headend problem(Fayetteville) and they've called Fayetteville (he even kept me on the line to listen to the call) and the Fayetteville guy claimed they had no way to check or adjust the audio balance. If I call Fayetteville myself you can't get past the know-it all service reps who claim its my in-house connections and wants to send a service tech. After I say if its my wiriring then every channels audio would be messed up but they can't seem to grasp that concept (DOH!).

Does anybody in the Raleigh area notice the same channels having this audio problem?

Originally posted by Daryl L
Everybody, I know this is off topic and I'm sorry. I just need a little input from TWC customers about some audio problems. I get TWC out of Lumberton NC. It comes from Fayetteville NC which gets its feed from Raleigh NC devision. For a few months now I've had some audio problems with the followng channels:

5 - WRAL - no stereo[buzz]
8 - PAX - left channel dominant[right very low]
14 TWC NEWS- right channel dominant[left very low]
26 - CNN - buzz during dialog
27 - SPIKE - mono[lost stereo]
28 - TNT - mono[lost stereo]
30 USA - mono[lost stereo][slight buzz during dialog]
31 - ESPN - mono[lost stereo]
35 - VH1 - left channel dominant[right very low]
55 - OXYGEN - left channel only[nothing from right]
66 - FOOD NETWORK - right channel dominant[left very low]

Just recently Fayetteville made some changes for Digital Phone service. Most of these channels were messed up before the change. A couple weren't but a couple others were but aren't anymore since the recent work. So I take that as it being a TWC problem and not the stations problem. I've spoke several times with the techs from Lumberton and even after a service call the tech said it was a headend problem(Fayetteville) and they've called Fayetteville (he even kept me on the line to listen to the call) and the Fayetteville guy claimed they had no way to check or adjust the audio balance. If I call Fayetteville myself you can't get past the know-it all service reps who claim its my in-house connections and wants to send a service tech. After I say if its my wiriring then every channels audio would be messed up but they can't seem to grasp that concept (DOH!).

Does anybody in the Raleigh area notice the same channels having this audio problem?

I did notice that a few stations in the Durham area sounded strange last night. The only example I can remember is that Lifetime (ch 47) seemed right-dominant, almost all right channel.

Originally posted by WildBill
deargila, you have a pm. :)

Thanks - I sent you a reply.

gstelmack,

Some QAM info for you. :)
TWC and other broadcasters (COX for example) broadcast the HD channels via cable un-encrypted. Thus is you have a QAM receiver and a cable subscription you can tune these channels. They also broadcast some premium channels encrypted and these I can NOT tune.

I only know of two OTA and QAM STB receivers at this time. The LG-LST3100A and the RCA ATSC21 or something like that. I took a chance in Dec. and purchased the LG unit after hearing about the TWC-NY folks who did so and were able to receive HD channels WITHOUT a TWC STB or the digital package.

Also, some (perhaps all but I don't know) built in HD receivers in TV's also decode unencrypted QAM signals. So these units can receive OTA or QAM signals as well.

Anyway, here in Raleigh/Durham I receive the locals in HD with a basic cable subscription. I had OTA reception issues and was able to forego the rooftop contraption I had attempted when this opportunity opened up.

FYI - The LG LST3100A unit DOES NOT receive audio on TNT-HD. All other channels are fine. Other owners of the LG unit in the area have confirmed they too do not receive audio on TNT-HD and I have submitted some emails to LG tech support.

FYI #2 - Other folks with built in tuners inside a Sony unit, DO receive audio via TWC here in Raleigh/Durham. So the audio issue is a a problem with the LG unit.

Thanks WildBill. Yeah, it looks like my Samsung box does ATSC (it claims all 18 formats) OTA, but I can't find anything about it supporting QAM. It can handle standard cable signals, but it doesn't look like it will handle the HD signals. Oh well, I'll just have to work on getting the OTA antenna working better.

Just now I was going through the listings in the TWC digital cable guide. I was searching by title, and scrolling up pretty fast through the Ls. At some point, the titles became out of order, but the really weird thing was that there was a listing for a show on WNCT. WNCT is the CBS affiliate in Greenville and is NOT carried in this market. I couldnt get it to show up again, and of course it was listed as being channel 0, but Im just wondering how it got there?

Greg,
I sent you a PM with the link as I am not sure AVS likes product links in threads anymore. :(

Anyway, the LST3100A does specify QAM reception and from personal experience I know it usually works and DOES give me HD content via cable without a digital subscription. And it doesn't actually support standard cable signals, just the DIGITAL ones. Analog cable reception is not something this box can do.

FYI - From the LG product page for the LST-3100A it says:

"Enhanced Connectivity Receives ATSC and QAM (unscrambled) signals and connects to HDTV and analog displays and other devices via RGB, component, s-video, DVI, composite jacks and RF jacks".

Please note however that I do NOT recommend the box at this time as it obviously has some issues with TNT-HD AUDIO that other QAM capable decoders do not.

It's a great solution that unfortunately in the infancy of this specific hardware and support from cable Co.'s has some obvious issues.

Best of luck to you.

Anyone else noticing problems with the digital audio OTA from WTVD-DT lately? Specifically, the HD broadcast Saturday, June 19 of "Thirteen Days" contained an out-of-sync audio feed with dropouts. I sent an email to the station. Was just wondering if it's just me? Normally my signal from them is excellent.

Originally posted by robnalex
Anyone else noticing problems with the digital audio OTA from WTVD-DT lately? Specifically, the HD broadcast Saturday, June 19 of "Thirteen Days" contained an out-of-sync audio feed with dropouts. I sent an email to the station. Was just wondering if it's just me? Normally my signal from them is excellent.

My TWC audio for "Thirteen Days" was pretty terrible too. Lots of stuttering, out-of-sync, and general dropouts. Sounds like it was probably the station or the broadcast and not our equipment...whew!

I'm moving from Denver to Burlington. I'm thinking of purchasing a home in Mebane, NC (MillCreek) which stations should I be able to pick up. I plan to mount an outside Radio Shack UHF only antennae. Maybe two (point one toward Greensboro and another to-wards Raleigh. Anyone have any luck getting any other stations? Roanoke, Lynchburg, Rock Hill, Danville, Winston Salem?

anybody hear any word on the HD DVR boxes from TWC lately? they said late june. i figured it would have to be right around the corner

Originally posted by kainen1
anybody hear any word on the HD DVR boxes from TWC lately? they said late june. i figured it would have to be right around the corner

I called today and got the normal "We don't have them yet, and we don't know when we're going to get them" answer.

Matt

Originally posted by Greg T
I'm moving from Denver to Burlington. I'm thinking of purchasing a home in Mebane, NC (MillCreek) which stations should I be able to pick up. I plan to mount an outside Radio Shack UHF only antennae. Maybe two (point one toward Greensboro and another to-wards Raleigh. Anyone have any luck getting any other stations? Roanoke, Lynchburg, Rock Hill, Danville, Winston Salem?

You should check out antennaweb.org (http://www.antennaweb.org). You can enter the state and zip code for Mebane (27302). That will give you a general idea. Your exact recpetion will depend on the kind of antenna you put up and your exact location (antennaweb.org let's you put in a street address). Here's some general info from that site on the digital stations:


yellow - uhf WUNC-DT 4.1 PBS Chapel Hill NC 168° 17.2 59
yellow - uhf WGPX-DT 14.1 PAX Burlington NC 304° 23.7 14
yellow - uhf WFMY-DT 2.1 CBS GREENSBORO NC 252° 35.5 51
green - uhf WUPN-DT 48.1 UPN GREENSBORO NC 251° 34.8 33
red - uhf WXLV-DT 45.1 ABC WINSTON-SALEM NC 251° 34.8 29
blue - uhf WLXI-DT 43.1 TBN GREENSBORO NC 251° 34.8 43
violet - uhf WGHP-DT 8.1 FOX HIGH POINT NC 246° 37.6 35
violet - uhf WXII-DT 12.1 NBC WINSTON-SALEM NC 295° 64.2 31

If you goto www.2150.com/broadcast and enter the coordinates for Mebane, it looks to me like you should be able to get most of the Raleigh DTV stations as well (approximately 50 miles away), the notable exceptions being our Sinclair-owned WB (22 analog, 57 digital) and UPN affiliates (27 digital, 28 analog). You should even be able to receive the analog versions of tighese, but Sinclair is only transmitting 9.2 KW on the digital stations right now. For the time being, all the digital stations are UHF, but my money says most of them will revert to their analog channel (some VHF stations as well) at the conversion point. WRAL is doing HDTV news and other local programming (one Plus to balance the Sinclair stations). Most Raleigh stations (WUNC excepted) are broadcasting from 131 degrees, 47-48 miles from downtown Mebane - you may well wish to put your antenna on a rotor so you can get the Triad stations as well - it appears that Mebane is about inbetween them.

Update

About the audio problem with the Fayetteville TWC devision in my previous post. As of today Fayetteville finally acknowledged the problem and have ordered audio modules for each of the mentioned channels.

Originally posted by robnalex
Anyone else noticing problems with the digital audio OTA from WTVD-DT lately? Specifically, the HD broadcast Saturday, June 19 of "Thirteen Days" contained an out-of-sync audio feed with dropouts. I sent an email to the station. Was just wondering if it's just me? Normally my signal from them is excellent.

Dont expect an answer anytime soon, since "Thirteen Days" was on CBS/WRAL rather than ABC/WTVD :)
That being said, I noticed some audio problems coming straight from the CBS HD feed, so I dont think it was WRALs end, but Im not an expert on that stuff either :).

I used the WRAL website to comment on the bad audio in "Thirteen Days." I got a response so I assume someone is looking into it on WRAL's side.

The latest news on the HD DVR boxes from their website is they have changes from mid June to "this summer". Bummer!

More detailed update on the HD-DVRs:

TWC now has received the software for the SA8000HDs, and has deployed a hundred or so of them to their own staff for internal testing before the rollout.

In other words, it's getting closer!

I was expecting to watch Law and Order in HD tonight, but it seems to be in SD.

:mad:

Called TWC about the HD-DVR yesterday and was told to check back in August. This wait is quickly becoming intolerable considering that they seem to not be able to get their stories entirely straight.

Rob

I work at Southpoint Mall part time on the weekends and occasionally go by TWC's booth... went over there Saturday and the girl said that they were currently being tested internally and she was told that the picture quality and interface was so poor that there's no way it was even close to being released. She said when they get their initial shipment, their booth is only going to be allocated 5 units.

Originally posted by Rob!Todd
Called TWC about the HD-DVR yesterday and was told to check back in August. This wait is quickly becoming intolerable considering that they seem to not be able to get their stories entirely straight.

Don't feel too bad. I got on a pre-order list for the HDTiVo from DirecTV in January and didn't get it until May, and I paid $1,000 for the privilege. Just remember, it's just TV, and it's not like there is much HD content right now anyway.

Of course, now that I have something with which I can record HD, it is really nice to be able to watch HD when I want to watch it. :D

Well folks, looks like our friends in the Triad are getting some HD sports content via TWC that we are not seeing in the Triangle. Any way to get TWC here to get us on board with this program?

See this recent post from the Greensboro thread entitled: Finally, Braves in HD on TWC - http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?postid=4009111#post4009111

Thanks,
Bob

Keefer,

As someone with a number of contacts in TWC, I can say that I've heard absolutely nothing like what you heard from the kiosk person.. people in-the-know on the upper levels are fully confident that the HD-DVRs will be out very, very soon.. the fact that they have them out for internal testing like they do is a pretty good indicator.

I don't know what they would be talking about with the interface being screwed up though.. it's my understanding that the interface is essentially the same as the regular DVR, I could be mistaken there though.

I called a few days ago and was told they were in internal testing and her best guess was they would be available in two weeks.

Brian

[QUOTE]Originally posted by willobandb
[B]Well folks, looks like our friends in the Triad are getting some HD sports content via TWC that we are not seeing in the Triangle. Any way to get TWC here to get us on board with this program?

Here's what I have heard- legally Turner South, and in particular Atl Braves games on Turner South, can't be carried in the Triangle or Eastern NC. Same goes for the dish folks. It stems from Major League Baseball and their home team markets for different areas (determined by zip codes). The Triangle is deemed a Baltimore Oriole market by MLB. so - the same games apply even on the HD side.

Yeah, I dont think Turner South SD has ever been offered in the Triangle or Eastern NC either. That being said, how many Orioles fans are in NC? Does MLB even have a clue? Id bet everything I own that would find a LOT more Braves fans than Orioles fans in this area. Regardless, MLB sucks :)

As for HD-DVRs, they are out in other markets, so Im not sure why they need testing? Maybe some testing of course, but the delay is insane. Are the different TWC markets on completely different systems, so that what works in another market doesnt work here? That doesnt make any sense either.

Regardless of all that, at least we can all be thankful that Gimme the Mike is over and we HOPEFULLY wont have to deal with insane coverage of singing competitions until January :).

END, what TWC markets that you know of have HD-DVRs already? It was my understanding that the Raleigh division is the first one to receive them, since there's such a large HD presence in this area.

I don't pay much attention to MLB - no real interest. Sort of a passing interest in the KC Royals (I grew up out there).

TWC is testing the HD DVRs in other TWC Divisions with a similar operating system - Pioneer Passport. The other TWC markets that launched are on other platforms based on the Scientific Atlanta resident application (such as Columbia, SC).

From what I've heard - once beta testing is complete and the corporate office releases the software (for mass deployment - some boxes are in the homes of a few employees)- then TWC Raleigh will release them - which is probably going to be end of July/early August. So, it's gonna be soon!

Wait, I'm confused (not uncommon). Are you saying the HD-DVRs in Raleigh will use Passport software, or Scientific Atlanta software?

Also another question: Is the decision for which OS to use driven by what software is running at the head end (ie. at the cable company), or can either OS be used regardless?

BTW, one of the downsides of the SA3250HD boxes here in Raleigh is that you cannot turn the grey pillars to black when watching 4:3 material. These boxes run Passport software. However, I have read on other forums that 3250HDs running SA software (in other locals) allows you to select the pillar color.

I hope the HD-DVRs allow us to select pillar color and also allow a format passthrough option (ie. passthrough 480p, 720p, or 1080i).

Sooke

The HD DVRs will use Passport software - but the boxes itself are SAs.

Not sure about the decision on which software to use -- but my guess would be stability and from what I've heard Passport is more stable.

The pillar color change could be a result of a software upgrade - but I'm not sure.
The pillars don't bother me too much -- I just stretch the screen.

Gwall, you're almost right.. the beta testing is taking place locally.. I spoke with a technican today who is one of the testers.

I'm not allowed to mention the specific problems the boxes are still having (but trust me- they're pretty minor, and it's nothing like the interface/video quality stuff the other poster was mentioning), but TWC is very confident they can have these out around the end of the month. (The Official Line is still summer though, if you call, that's what they're supposed to say)

Yes-- there a few HD DVR boxes in the homes of some of TWC's finest here locally.
From what I've heard- the real deal beta test (involving their subscribers) is currently happening in other smaller TWC markets w/ Passport operating systems.
The Raleigh area is one of the largest TWC divisions.